ODNI_Preliminary_Assessment_UAP_2021-06-25.pdf

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OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Preliminary Assessment:  
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena 
 
 
 
 
 
25 June 2021 
 
 

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SCOPE AND ASSUMPTIONS 
Scope 
This preliminary report is provided by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) 
in response to the provision in Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence 
Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, that the DNI, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Defense (SECDEF), is to submit an intelligence assessment of the threat posed by unidentified 
aerial phenomena (UAP) and the progress the Department of Defense Unidentified Aerial 
Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) has made in understanding this threat. 
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) 
hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.  The 
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) considered a range of information on UAP 
described in U.S. military and IC (Intelligence Community) reporting, but because the reporting 
lacked sufficient specificity, ultimately recognized that a unique, tailored reporting process was 
required to provide sufficient data for analysis of UAP events. 
• As a result, the UAP…

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AVAILABLE REPORTING LARGELY INCONCLUSIVE 
Limited Data Leaves Most UAP Unexplained… 
Limited data and inconsistency in reporting are key challenges to evaluating UAP.  No 
standardized reporting mechanism existed until the Navy established one in March 2019.  The 
Air Force subsequently adopted that mechanism in November 2020, but it remains limited to 
USG reporting.  The UAPTF regularly heard anecdotally during its research about other 
observations that occurred but which were never captured in formal or informal reporting by 
those observers. 
After caref…

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But Some Potential Patterns Do Emerge 
Although there was wide variability in the reports and the dataset is currently too limited to allow 
for detailed trend or pattern analysis, there was some clustering of UAP observations regarding 
shape, size, and, particularly, propulsion.  UAP sightings also tended to cluster around U.S. 
training and testing grounds, but we assess that this may result from a collection bias as a result 
of focused attention, greater numbers of latest-generation sensors operating in those areas, unit 
expectations, and guidance to re…

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Other: Although most of the UAP described in our dataset probably remain unidentified due to 
limited data or challenges to collection processing or analysis, we may require additional 
scientific knowledge to successfully collect on, analyze and characterize some of them.  We 
would group such objects in this category pending scientific advances that allowed us to better 
understand them.  The UAPTF intends to focus additional analysis on the small number of cases 
where a UAP appeared to display unusual flight characteristics or signature management.  
UAP …

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The majority of UAP data is from U.S. Navy reporting, but efforts are underway to standardize 
incident reporting across U.S. military services and other government agencies to ensure all 
relevant data is captured with respect to particular incidents and any U.S. activities that might be 
relevant.  The UAPTF is currently working to acquire additional reporting, including from the 
U.S. Air Force (USAF), and has begun receiving data from the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA). 
• Although USAF data collection has been limited historically the USAF began …

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APPENDIX A - Definition of Key Terms 
This report and UAPTF databases use the following defining terms: 
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP): Airborne objects not immediately identifiable.  The 
acronym UAP represents the broadest category of airborne objects reviewed for analysis. 
UAP Event: A holistic description of an occurrence during which a pilot or aircrew witnessed 
(or detected) a UAP. 
UAP Incident: A specific part of the event. 
UAP Report: Documentation of a UAP event, to include verified chains of custody and basic 
information such as the time,…