What did the declassified documents reveal?

Document: "Inspector General's Evaluation of the DoD's Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" Agency: Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Date: August 15, 2023 Notable: A previously classified report on the Department of Defense's actions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. Released: January 25, 2024 The Black Vault Entry: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/igs-evaluation-of-the-dods-actions-regarding-unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-finally-released/ Canonical PDF: https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/dod/dodig-eval-uap.pdf The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has released an unclassified summary of a previously classified report titled "Evaluation of the DoD's Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena." This disclosure follows a full version of the classified report issued on August 15, 2023. Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense INTEGRITY  INDEPENDENCE  EXCELLENCE Unclassified Summary of Report No. DODIG-2023-109, “Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” August 15, 2023 Historical Background: Over the past decades, the DoD has initiated infrequent and inconclusive efforts to identify and understand the origin, capabilities, and intent of unidentified aerial phenomena. Military pilots have historically reported many of the UAP sightings. The Air Force and Navy have been at the forefront of developing policies, procedures, and mechanisms for reporting UAP. The DoD's first official UAP-focused activities occurred in December 1947, when the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff established PROJECT SIGN to investigate the first recorded observations of unidentified flying objects. From 1947 to 1949, Air Force personnel investigated 243 reported UAP sightings. In 1952, the U.S. Air Force Director of Intelligence initiated PROJECT BLUE BOOK to investigate unidentified flying objects. Between 1952 and 1969, Air Force personnel investigated over 12,000 reported sightings. The DoD did not officially look at UAP again until mid-2000, when select members of Congress initiated and funded a program to study UAP, called the Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications program, under the direction of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Since then, the DoD has attempted to establish several programs for coordinating DoD-wide UAP reporting; however, none of the programs were ever fully implemented. In 2020, as a result of increased concerns of flight crew safety, national security, and adversary technology advances, Congress directed the DoD to develop, fund, and staff a formal interagency entity to study, collect data, and report on UAP. On July 20, 2022, the DoD established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to be that entity. Background: The FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act defined UAP as “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” which include airborne objects that are not immediately identifiable, transmedium objects or…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it from the public release.

Case · DAILY-034

IG’s Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Finally Released

JUN 21 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-ig-s-evaluation-of-the-dod-s-actions-regarding-unidentifie8 minLast updated June 21, 2026

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The short version

Document: "Inspector General's Evaluation of the DoD's Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" Agency: Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Date: August 15, 2023 Notable: A previously classified report on the Department of Defense's actions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. " This disclosure follows a full version of the classified report issued on August 15, 2023.

Agency: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
Date: JUN 21 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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What was IG’s Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Finally Released about?: Document: "Inspector General's Evaluation of the DoD's Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" Agency: Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Date: August 15, 2023 Notable: A previously classified report on the Department of Defense's actions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. " This disclosure follows a full version of the classified report issued on August 15, 2023.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

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IG’s Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Finally Released

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