Pentagon to open new office to probe UFOs

The new investigatory body will be established in the US Defense Department's intelligence and security office and will work to identify objects and mitigate any associated threats.

The Pentagon says the presence of unidentified aerial phenomenon in restricted airspace poses national security concerns.
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The Pentagon says the presence of unidentified aerial phenomenon in restricted airspace poses national security concerns.

The United States Department of Defense has said it will establish a new group to investigate reports on the presence of UFOs in restricted airspace.

The new Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group will be overseen by the under secretary of defense for intelligence, the director of the Joint Staff and officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said the presence of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) in restricted airspace poses a potential safety of flight risk to aircrews and raises potential national security concerns.

The new group which will succeed the US Navy's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, will work to detect, identify and attribute objects, assess and mitigate any associated threats, the Pentagon said.

READ MORE: Pentagon admits running secret UFO investigation

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Assessing potential threats

The formation of the group comes after the government released a report in June encompassing 144 observations.

The report said there was a lack of sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects.

The US military has spent decades deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects and "flying saucers" dating back to the 1940s.

READ MORE: Pentagon deadline nears for releasing report on unidentified aerial objects

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