The persistent inquiry into the abundance of ‘alien sightings’ in the United States might finally have an explanation.
It’s widely recognized that America has a fascination with alien conspiracy theories, evident in the numerous UFO sightings reported over the years.
In fact, statistics indicate that the United States ranks high globally for UFO sightings. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, over 105,000 UFO sightings and encounters have been documented in the country since 1947, as reported by MITechNews.
In 2025 alone, there have already been 36 sightings, according to World Population Review. However, leading this year thus far is the UK, with 59 reported sightings.
With so many UFO reports in the US, scientist Sean Kirkpatrick was appointed to lead an investigation into ‘unidentified anomalous phenomena,’ resulting in the establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022.
As part of their review, AARO gathered data on these sightings to determine if they could be attributed to earthly technology, as detailed in a recent report by The Wall Street Journal.
Of the myriad sightings reported, AARO determined that many were attributable to balloons, birds, and drones populating the skies. Regarding pilot descriptions, the ‘orbs’ they observed were attributed to ‘reflections of the sun from Starlink satellites.’
AARO was also tasked with examining historical records dating back to 1945 concerning claims from former military personnel that Washington allegedly ran a covert program to extract alien technology.
Kirkpatrick and his team interviewed a former Air Force officer who claimed to have been informed about ‘a secret alien project’ decades ago — so secretive, he was told that revealing any details could lead to imprisonment or even execution.
Similar warnings were reportedly given to other Air Force officers, who refrained from sharing the alleged secret project even with their spouses.
However, Kirkpatrick’s team concluded that this was likely an elaborate prank played on new Air Force commanders, which contributed to the proliferation of UFO sighting rumors in the US, potentially explaining the country’s higher number of reported ‘sightings’ compared to other regions.
The WSJ reported: “For decades, certain new commanders of the Air Force’s most classified programs, as part of their induction briefings, would be handed a piece of paper with a photo of what looked like a flying saucer. The craft was described as an antigravity maneuvering vehicle.
“The officers were told that the program they were joining, dubbed Yankee Blue, was part of an effort to reverse-engineer the technology on the craft. They were told never to mention it again. Many never learned it was fake.”
These fabricated stories about aliens were not only used for ‘hazing’ but also to ‘create a smokescreen for real secret-weapons programs.’
Further details from AARO’s investigation are anticipated to be included in the second volume of the Defense Department’s Historical Record Report expected later this year.