The Pentagon on Friday confirmed the formation of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF), to study the existence of unidentified aerial phenomena, oftentimes referred to as unidentified flying objects or UFOs.
“On Aug. 4, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF),” Department of Defense spokesperson Sue Gough confirmed in an email to American Military News. “The Department of the Navy, under the cognizance of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, will lead the UAPTF.”
The revelation comes about three months after the Pentagon released three official videos showing “unidentified aerial phenomena.” One of the videos showed a November 2004 encounter and the two others showed a January 2015 encounter with UAPs.
In her statement Friday, Gough said “The Department of Defense established the UAPTF to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs. The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.”
“As DOD has stated previously, the safety of our personnel and the security of our operations are of paramount concern,” Gough’s statement continued. “The Department of Defense and the military departments take any incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace very seriously and examine each report. This includes examinations of incursions that are initially reported as UAP when the observer cannot immediately identify what he or she is observing.”
Here are the three videos the Pentagon officially released in April:
