전영역 이상 해결국(AARO): 기밀 해제 정보 문서 2025

AARO Declassification Information Paper 2025

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An AARO Information Paper
AARO and the Declassification Process
September 2025
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is the U.S. Department of War
office established to investigate and resolve report of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
AARO is responsible for receiving, processing, and adjudicating UAP reports, and routinely
accesses classified information—including that collected by U.S. Government systems—to
complete its review of UAP reports. The processes governing the classification of information
are complex and can be misunderstood. Our national defense requires that certain information be
classified to protect our citizens, our democratic institutions, our homeland security, and our
interactions with foreign nations. Nevertheless, as established by law and in accordance with
direction from the Secretary of War, AARO places a heavy emphasis on transparency in
facilitating the declassification and release of information so the public can see the results of
AARO’s reviews for themselves.
What are UAP?
UAP are as-yet-unknown objects that exhibit potentially anomalous characteristics and
are seen or recorded in space, the sky, or the ocean. The vast majority of UAP reports are
eventually determined to be mundane objects—such as balloons, satellites, and birds—after
further review. A small percentage of reported UAP exhibit potentially anomalous characteristics,
and AARO expends most of its review efforts on these UAP reports.
For the public, UAP sightings raise a profound and enduring question: Are we alone in
the universe? Another question often follows: What does the U.S. Government really know about
UAP? Though AARO has found no evidence of extraterrestrial beings or technology to date, the
office considers all available evidence in conducting its analyses.
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Figure 1: A screenshot from 2:53 of the video titled “Al Taqaddum Object” (popularly known as “the
jellyfish video”), available to view online at https://www.dvidshub.net//video/960331/al-taqaddum-object.
Why is so much UAP-related information classified?
Classification is a mechanism the U.S. Government uses to safeguard sensitive
information related to national security. For the Department of War, this sensitive information
could include military objectives, locations, and capabilities, as well as vulnerabilities and
intelligence sources and methods. For example, if an F-35 fighter jet pilot uses the aircraft’s
camera to take an image of an ordinary object (a soda can, for example), that image could be
classified for reasons other than the subject of the image (here, the soda can) and instead due to
the use of the fighter jet’s camera. The image could contain information that meets the standards
for classification due to its relationship to a sensitive capability that is itself classified. For
instance, the raw image may include information about the resolution, metadata, or other
sensitive information that could be used to deduce that camera’s capabilities and limitations. If
an adversary were to combine this information with other information about the aircraft, that
adversary might be able to draw conclusions about how to elude detection by those aircraft
because that adversary would now better understand the capabilities of the F-35’s sensors.
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Much like the soda can example above, UAP imagery is often classified to protect
sensitive information associated with the platform, location, or methods used to captured it. This
includes commonplace images of birds, balloons, commercial drones, and natural phenomena,
which are frequently reported to AARO as UAP. Even when AARO resolves a case as
unremarkable, the underlying data may remain classified if it originates or is derived from
sensitive sources or methods.
In addition to considering the classified nature of sensitive sources or methods, AARO is
also vigilant of U.S. and allied operational security. In characterizing and resolving UAP, AARO
must balance its commitment to transparency with its national security mission to increase
domain awareness to avoid strategic surprise.
How does AARO declassify UAP-related information?
AARO cannot declassify information on its own because the classified information
relevant to the UAP reports was created by other government entities outside of AARO – for
example, the Military Departments. The office that originally created the information has the
primary authority to declassify it. As such, AARO experts must work with the owners of
classified information across the U.S. Government every day to facilitate the declassification and
release of UAP records without compromising the security of its partners.
Declassification is a deliberate and time-intensive process in which the originating office
uses a team of experts to examine the classified information to determine if it still requires
protection. Information must remain classified when its disclosure could reasonably be expected
to cause damage, serious damage, or exceptionally grave damage to national security. Even when
declassification may seem appropriate or obvious based on the subject of the information, such
as the soda can image example, the methods with which the information was obtained or other
details within the data may result in a decision to postpone declassification. If declassification is
postponed, the information will be required to undergo additional declassification reviews at
prescribed intervals to determine whether continued classification is needed.
To declassify information as part of the UAP case resolution process, AARO first solicits
a determination from the originating office that created the information as to whether the release
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of the data could harm national security. The owners will conduct a declassification review and
provide one of the following determinations: 1) All of the information has been declassified and
can be released, in its entirety, to the public; 2) Only some of the information has been
declassified and only those portions can be released to the public (NOTE: information that
continues to be classified will be redacted or removed prior to public release); or 3) All of the
information must remain classified and cannot be released to the public. Once AARO receives
the determination that some or all of the information can be released, AARO coordinates with the
Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review (DOPSR) to ensure the classified portion
(if any) is appropriately redacted. AARO can release the document or data to the public once
DOPSR stamps the information as approved for public release.
How does AARO release declassified data and documents to the public?
AARO is committed to facilitating the declassification and public release of as much
UAP-related information as possible. AARO may incorporate declassified information into its
public case resolution reports and unclassified congressional reports, or it may publish the
declassified information directly to AARO’s website. AARO is also working closely with the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to transfer UAP-related records for
permanent storage and public access, thus further promoting transparency in accordance with
existing law. The public can view UAP-related records that have been transferred to the National
Archives at https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps.
AARO seeks to build trust through increased openness and analytic rigor as it executes its
important national security mission. AARO will continue to demonstrate its commitment to
transparency by publishing declassified information, engaging with partners across the U.S.
Government, and transferring records to public archives.
Please visit AARO’s website at https://www.aaro.mil/ to view UAP imagery and records,
case resolutions, congressional reports, FOIA releases, and more.
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