US Hearing Senate Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Kirkpatrick, AARO's first director, testifies on the office's mission, activities and budget
On 19 April 2023 the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, chaired by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, held an open hearing with Dr Sean M. Kirkpatrick, Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), following a closed session earlier that day. Gillibrand raised AARO's funding, its reporting chain, sensor filters and a public process for witnesses. Kirkpatrick told the subcommittee that AARO was tracking a total of 650 cases, that most reports showed mundane characteristics, and that AARO had found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics.
1 document·5 points
- Gillibrand said the President's budget for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 requested only enough funding to defray AARO's operating expenses, and that a letter from 16 senators secured temporary relief (p. 2).
- Kirkpatrick said AARO's team of more than three dozen experts was organised around operations, scientific research, integrated analysis and strategic communications (p. 8).
- He testified that AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics (p. 10).
- He said that as of that week AARO was tracking a total of 650 cases, and that the roughly 150 likely balloons in the January report were not thereby resolved (p. 10).
- He said reported objects are typically 1 to 4 meters in size, smaller than the resolution of many civil climate satellites (p. 20).
Documents
- Hearing transcript The Mission, Activities, Oversight, and Budget of the All - Domain Anomaly Resolution Office U.S. Senate· 2023-04-19· 26 pp.