Mission, Authority & Mandate
Activated by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, AARO succeeds the Airborne Object Identification and Management Group and executes §1683 of the FY 2022‒2024 National Defense Authorization Acts, giving it government-wide investigative authority over UAP in air, sea, space and trans-medium environments.12 The office must provide quarterly senior-level updates and annual classified/unclassified reports to Congress and the intelligence community.34
Governance & Leadership
AARO is embedded within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security and reports jointly to the Secretary of Defense and DNI. The director (Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick 2022-2024; Jon Kosloski acting 2024-present) testifies before defense and intelligence committees and delivers budget justification materials directly to the Hill.56
In January 2025 the office published an unclassified organization chart confirming Tim Phillips as deputy director. Four divisions – Analysis, Operations, Science & Technology and Strategic Communications – report to Kosloski. A DISES special assistant manages data architecture while a chief of staff coordinates mission managers, a science advisor and liaisons from each military service.7
Core Lines of Effort
- Surveillance & Collection – curate multi-INT sensor data from DoD, IC, FAA and Allied networks to build an authoritative UAP incident database.1
- Systematic Analysis – employ AI/ML fusion, pattern-of-life baselines and spectral signature libraries to classify and attribute cases.6
- Science & Technology – task the DoD research enterprise to evaluate novel propulsion, signatures or counter-UAP capabilities; NASA provides civilian remote-sensing expertise under a 2023 interagency agreement.8
- Mitigation & Integration – issue threat alerts, update TTPs and coordinate with Combatant Commands to de-conflict national-security operations.9
- Strategic Communications – operate the public portal (aaro.mil) with declassified videos, FAQs and a secure witness submission form to reduce stigma and crowd-source reports.109
Outputs & Key Findings (2022-2024)
AARO's multi-year review of archival programs, contract data and alleged crash-retrieval claims found "no verifiable evidence" that the U.S. government or industry possesses non-human technology.13
Congressional & Public Oversight
- Statutory Reporting – NDAA FY 2024 (Pub. L. 118-31) re-authorizes AARO, tightens whistle-blower protections and earmarks $37 million for advanced sensor exploitation.2
- Hearings – Regular open/closed Senate Armed Services Subcommittee sessions track mission progress, resource sufficiency and classification reforms.5
- Declassification Initiatives – AARO website cycle publishes resolved cases and analytic methodologies to build public trust and academic collaboration.10
Interagency & Scientific Collaboration
- NASA – Independent Study Team (16 experts) delivered a roadmap urging open data standards; NASA appointed a Director of UAP Research to interface with AARO and share Earth-observing assets.8
- Allied Sharing – Five Eyes partners feed sensor data and coordinate standards for cross-domain anomaly reporting.1
- Academic Consortia – AARO funds university teams to refine atmospheric-phenomena models and machine-vision classifiers under FY 2025 pilot grants.6
Forward Outlook (2025)
- Publish Historical Record Report Vol 2 (Nov 2023-Apr 2024) incorporating 40+ new witness interviews.12
- Field spiral-2 AI fusion node at NORAD for near-real-time anomaly triage.
- Deliver first threat-level matrix for trans-medium objects to Combatant Commands.
- Expand public data-release cadence to semi-annual, subject to classification review.