026_DGI_Briefing.pdf

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
UNCLASSIFIED
ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY 
RESOLUTION OFFICE
Leveraging Data, Analysis, and AI to Identify UAP
Presentation to the Defense Space, Geospatial & Intelligence Leadership Conference
UNCLASSIFIED
Mr. Tim Phillips
Deputy Director, AARO
All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office
Chief of Staff, AARO
Authority: FY24 NDAA, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 
Date: 2/6/2025
Released in Full: X
Case Number: 330UAP000026
026
Page determined to be Unclassified 
Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO 
IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) 
Date: 2/6/2025

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
UNCLASSIFIED
UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are sources of 
anomalous detections in one or more domains (i.e., airborne, 
seaborne, spaceborne, and/or transmedium) that are not yet 
attributable to known actors and that demonstrate behaviors that 
are not readily understood by sensors or observers. 
“Anomalous detections” include, but are not limited to, phenomena 
that appear to demonstrate performance characteristics or material 
properties that exceed the known state-of-the-art. Most anomalous 
detections r…

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
3
UNCLASSIFIED
MISSION, VISION, & FUNCTION
Congress established AARO to investigate what hazards or threats UAP might present across service, regional, and domain boundaries.
MISSION:  
Minimize technical and intelligence surprise by synchronizing identification, attribution, and mitigation of UAP in the vicinity of national security areas.
VISION: 
Effectively and efficiently detect, track, analyze, and manage anomalous detections and UAP via normalized and systematized DoD, IC, and civil 
business practices adhering to the highest scientific and in…

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
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UNCLASSIFIED
UAP ANALYTIC TRENDS
AARO analyses confirm only a very small percentage of UAP reports display anomalous signatures.  Most anomalous detections reported to AARO 
demonstrate ordinary characteristics of readily-explainable sources.
LACK OF DATA HINDERS
COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSES
▪Many cases in AARO's holdings remain
unresolved because of a lack of verifiable
data. Cases lacking sufficient data to
inform a rigorous analysis cannot be
resolved.
▪High-quality empirical data is necessary for
AARO’s adherence to the scientific method
and intellig…

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
UNCLASSIFIED
MT. ETNA OBJECT
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▪Event: In 2018, a US UAS platform captured video of an unidentified
object while observing an eruption of Mt. Etna in Italy. The object
appeared to pass through the volcano's plume without any impact on its
performance, altitude, or trajectory.
▪Findings:  AARO, in coordination with IC and S&T partners, assesses with
moderate confidence that the object was a balloon drifting with the wind
approximately 170 kilometers from the volcano.
▪Analytic Factors:  AARO’s IC partner employed full-motion video analysis
software, 3…

UNCLASSIFIED
ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
APPLIED GEOINT METHODOLOGY
6
▪AARO’s IC partner applied FMV
techniques to calculate the object’s
speed, altitude, and direction of travel.
▪During observation, the object
seemed to transit the ash plume.
▪AARO’s IC partner used
photogrammetry, vector analysis, and
3-D visualization to calculate the
object’s 3-D flight path.
▪Applying the predictive model
revealed the object’s location later in
the video.
▪Successful prediction of the object's
location validated AARO's
methodology.
▪These findings demonstrate the utility
of applying GEOIN…

ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
UNCLASSIFIED
VERIFICATION & VALIDATION OF NEW METHODS AND ALGORITHMS
7
UNCLASSIFIED
▪AARO is incorporating new methods into its GEOINT
tradecraft.
▪AARO conducted controlled experiments at Camp
Grafton, North Dakota, using telemetered airborne
surrogate targets.
▪10,000 acres of federal land (UAS training area)
▪Coordinated airborne collections of surrogate
targets
▪Over two hours of unclassified FMV collection
▪Surrogate targets exhibited similar behaviors
and morphologies as widely reported UAP
behaviors, such as being “hot,” “high-speed,”
“orb-lik…

UNCLASSIFIED
ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO)
AARO FOOTAGE FROM CAMP GRAFTON FIELD TESTING 
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UNCLASSIFIED
(UNCLASSIFIED)
(UNCLASSIFIED)
(U) Video of FMV collected during testing.
Page determined to be Unclassified 
Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO 
IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) 
Date: 2/6/2025
026