The US government is taking the threat of UFOs very seriously, and has recently released a statement saying their current approach is putting national security at risk.
I know what you're thinking - should we really be taking blurry footage of objects flying around in the sky so seriously.
Well, following on from the bombshell revelations in the US Congress hearing on UFOs, the government does actually have some very serious concerns - but not necessarily for the reasons you might think.
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On January 25, the US Department of Defense (DoD) released a damning report about how they approach UFOs.
More specifically, the statement claims that the DoD lacks compressive approach to any threats potentially posed by Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), formerly and more commonly referred to as UFOs.
The damning statement might come as a bit of a shock to a lot of people in the US, as interest in UAPs has reached an all-time high in recently years.
While not everyone believes in alien life, there has been a sharp increase in curiosity around potential life outside of our planet, after US Air Force officer and former intelligence officer David Grusch sensationally claimed the US government has a UAP recovery program which has collected 'non-human' spacecraft and their 'dead pilots.'
In response to increase interest around UAPs, an investigation was launched around the possible security implications they might pose.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a strictly classified report in August, titled 'Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.'
Within the report, which has only just been made public, the OIG 'found that the DoD’s lack of a comprehensive, coordinated approach to address UAP may pose a threat to military forces and national security'.
It continued: "The DoD OIG found that the DoD does not have a comprehensive, coordinated approach to address UAP.
"For instance, the DoD OIG determined that the DoD has no overarching UAP policy and, as a result, it lacks assurance that national security and flight safety threats to the United States from UAP have been identified and mitigated."
Now, this doesn't mean the government is worried about some kind of Independence Day scenario.
Instead, UAPs could be attempts at surveillance from hostile foreign powers.
Inspector General Robert P Storch added: "Given the significant public interest in how the DoD is addressing UAPs, we are releasing this unclassified summary to be as transparent as possible with the American people about our oversight work on this important issue."
In response to the issues raised in the report, 11 recommendations have been made, such as the introduction of a policy outlining responsibilities, requirements and coordination procedures for all the all the groups involved in the country's defense.
Emma Rosemurgey