The Defense Department revealed its Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) on Friday, charging the group with examining unexplained encounters with unidentified flying objects, per a statement.
Why it matters: The task force, to be led by the Navy, comes after the Pentagon earlier this year released a number of videos of "unidentified aerial phenomena" captured by Navy pilots over the last decade.
- The footage appears to show unidentified flying objects moving rapidly while being recorded by infrared cameras of fighter jets.
What they're saying: "The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security," the DoD said.
- "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."
- The department said its chief concern is the safety of its personnel and operations.
Reality check: By establishing this task force, the Pentagon and the Navy are not concluding or even suggesting the existence of aliens.
- Rather, the military is concerned that the objects could be highly advanced aircraft flying near sensitive military facilities and in military-controlled ranges, dangerous flaws within American military technology or unknown natural phenomena that could damage aircraft or hurt service members.
The big picture: The Senate Intelligence Committee voted on legislation in June that would require the Pentagon and intelligence community to provide a public analysis of the encounters captured by the pilots, according to CNN.
