According to Politico , it is unusual for government officials to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life, especially when they are involved in intelligence-gathering efforts on recent sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
Alien probe?
Earlier, Mr Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the Pentagon’s Region-wide Anomaly Office, and Harvard University professor Avi Loeb wrote: “The objects – which appear to defy the laws of physics – could be a ‘probe’ from an extraterrestrial ‘mothership’.”
His five-page research paper became famous in the scientific community when it was published in the US Army’s Military Times newspaper.
Experts said Mr. Kirkpatrick’s involvement in the aforementioned academic paper shows that the Pentagon is open to scientific debate about the origin of UFOs.
The article explains that an interstellar object like “Oumuamua” (a cigar-shaped object discovered by scientists flying through the galaxy in 2017) “is likely a mothership that launches multiple small probes during the process of approaching Earth.
Researchers say the probes could use starlight to “recharge their batteries” and obtain water from Earth as fuel. They also speculate on the motives behind aliens sending probes to Earth.
“What is its purpose? To find raw materials on the Earth’s surface or simply to make scientific discoveries,” the authors write.
However, the authors admit that they do not know for sure whether any probes are operating near Earth.
Controversial science
However, the research also encountered many objections in the scientific community.
“It appears that the Department of Defense is supporting some really crazy ideas that are still considered unfounded.”
Meanwhile, David Jewitt, a professor of astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said some of the paper’s claims were “highly dubious.”
Others, however, argue that the US Department of Defense should explore all possibilities, no matter how remote they may seem.
In a statement, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand noted that both co-authors are highly respected in their fields: Kirkpatrick is an expert in “scientific and technical intelligence,” while Loeb is the author of hundreds of scientific papers on astrophysics and cosmology. That is why she “believes in the scientific rigor of their work.”
“The stigma surrounding the debate on this topic can prevent militaries from better understanding the potential threats to our airspace or the risks posed by our adversaries,” Ms. Gillibrand stressed.
The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment on the article.
In 2022, the U.S. Congress established the AARO group at the Pentagon to replace the Naval Intelligence Agency’s UFO hunting task force.
AARO serves as the focal point for government-level investigation into hundreds of reports of UFO “phenomena.”
Mr. Kirkpatrick is a respected science and intelligence expert, with more than two decades of research in physics and work in defense intelligence. He also serves on the White House Presidential Council of Science and Technology Advisers.
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