AARO
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is the official U.S. Department of Defense office responsible for detecting, identifying, and attributing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). It was established on July 20, 2022, under the authority of Ronald S. Moltry as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD I&S), and was initially directed by Sean Kirkpatrick. AARO operates under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USDINS) and is legally charged with accepting UAP-related disclosures from current and former government employees, including individuals with knowledge of classified programs. AARO released a declassified slide deck on the Kona Blue program and published its Historical Record Report in 2024.
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Alleged UAP Involvement
The presenter of "The Hidden Wing" alleges that AARO was deliberately designed not as a genuine investigative body but as a whistleblower honeypot — a mechanism to identify and neutralize individuals with knowledge of UAP legacy programs. Sean Kirkpatrick is accused of lying, deception, and active interference against whistleblowers during his tenure as director. The presenter further alleges that both Kirkpatrick and Moltry deleted references to Battelle Memorial Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory FFRDC from their public biographies, organizations rumored to be involved in recovered non-human vehicle analysis. Multiple whistleblowers and witnesses, including Dylan Borland, have indicated they would not report their experiences to AARO or chose not to do so due to distrust of the office.
Michael Herrera Testimony and Historical Report Misrepresentation
In late April 2023, Michael Herrera testified to AARO in a secure facility about his 2009 Indonesia encounter with an octagonal craft and armed operators. Herrera describes his interview with Director Kirkpatrick as interrogation-like, with Kirkpatrick displaying minimal interest and asking only three repetitive questions focused solely on identifying the operators. Kirkpatrick claimed AARO had access to satellite imagery of the incident location and promised follow-up, but Herrera states that after more than a year, he was never contacted to review the imagery.
Most controversially, Herrera alleges that AARO's Historical Report Volume 1 deliberately misrepresented his testimony, falsely attributing claims that he witnessed an "extraterrestrial vehicle" and that the operators were "US Special Forces." Herrera adamantly denies making either statement and characterizes the misrepresentation as purposeful distortion rather than innocent error. He notes that at least one other individual present during his SKIF testimony can corroborate that he never used those terms. Herrera has publicly testified at the National Press Club and in media interviews that he consistently described the craft as clearly man-made with human operators, not extraterrestrial, and never identified the armed personnel as US Special Forces.
This alleged misrepresentation pattern aligns with broader accusations that AARO under Kirkpatrick's leadership actively undermined whistleblower testimony rather than conducting good-faith investigations.
Sand Corp Contract and Structural Whistleblower Suppression
In 2022, the DOD awarded a $1.9 million contract to Sand Corp for "AARO Support Services." Sand Corp specializes not in UAP analysis or scientific investigation but in preventing leaks and stopping whistleblowers. Ronald S. Moltry's office (Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security) was involved in securing this contract. UAP researchers and commentators including UAP Gerb characterize this as the most structurally damning evidence that AARO was designed as a disinformation front and whistleblower suppression mechanism rather than a legitimate investigative office.
DOD IG Report: No Overarching UAP Policy
An official press release from the DOD Office of the Inspector General stated: "DOD has no overarching UAP policy and lacks assurance that National Security and flight safety threats to the United States from UAP have been identified and mitigated." This finding directly contradicts AARO's stated mission and Kirkpatrick's public claims of rigorous, science-driven investigation.
Witnesses Briefed Kirkpatrick; Received No Follow-Up
Contrary to Kirkpatrick's stated position that no UAP witnesses had brought evidence to AARO, Chris Mellon publicly stated he personally introduced Kirkpatrick to Luis Elizondo, Eric Davis, and Hal Puthoff, each of whom spent hours briefing Kirkpatrick in a classified setting and received zero follow-up. Elizondo similarly stated that "many people" he knew personally had provided detailed information to AARO on the record. David Grusch has also stated he attempted to approach AARO but received no response.