AARO Hearing focuses on Candid Answers from Director of Agency
In a recent congressional hearing that took place November 19, 2024, Dr. Jon T. Kosloski, the newly appointed director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), presented updates on their investigations on UAP. Kozlowski, who joined AARO in August 2024 after serving at the NSA’s Research Directorate, outlined the office’s progress and challenges in addressing this critical national security concern.
The hearing revealed AARO’s three-pronged approach to UAP investigation: building strong partnerships across government and private sectors, promoting transparency, and scaling up operations. Despite extensive investigation, Kosloski emphasized that AARO has found no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial activity or technology. Most UAP reports occur between 15,000 and 25,000 feet, with the majority of resolved cases being attributed to balloons and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
A key focus of the AARO hearing was the analysis of the 2013 Aguadilla UAP case from Puerto Rico, where a Customs and Border Patrol aircraft captured footage of what appeared to be an object moving rapidly near water. Through detailed geospatial intelligence and trigonometry analysis, AARO demonstrated this was actually an optical illusion known as parallax — where an object appears to change position when viewed from different angles. The object was determined to be at 13,000 feet altitude, not near the water’s surface as initially perceived. The parallax effect, similar to how your thumb appears to “jump” position against a background when switching which eye you look through, created the illusion of extreme speed near the water’s surface when in reality it was the changing perspective of the aircraft relative to a high-altitude object.
The office faces several ongoing challenges, including limited access to timely sensor data and the need to balance transparency with security classifications. To address these issues, AARO is developing a new sensor system scheduled for deployment in mid-2025 and working to improve its case management and public reporting mechanisms. The office is also increasing its declassification efforts to facilitate better collaboration with academic institutions and researchers.
Congressional members, particularly Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand, expressed strong support for protecting whistleblowers and reducing the stigma associated with UAP reporting. The recent cooperation between AARO and the FAA represents a significant step forward in encouraging pilots to report UAP encounters. As AARO continues to expand its capabilities and partnerships, the focus remains on maintaining scientific integrity while addressing potential national security implications of UAP incidents.
But, like Project Blue Book, there seems to be a pattern of explaining away UAP incidents, as evidenced by Kosloski’s focus on debunking the Aguadilla UAP video using parallax explanations. The hearing’s brevity (only about 5 minutes of presentation) and Kosloski’s apparent nervousness raised flags for observers. Notably, while Gillibrand appeared optimistic, the responses echoed Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick’s previous statements about needing more witnesses, and attempting to explain everything away as conventional. Given that Kosloski has only been in the role since August 2024, following Kirkpatrick’s December 2023 resignation, questions arise about whether AARO will truly provide new insights or continue the pattern of limited disclosure seen in previous government UAP programs.
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