Sean Kirkpatrick

Sean Kirkpatrick is a physicist and intelligence official who led the Pentagon's first dedicated office for investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Born in Columbus, Georgia, he holds a PhD in physics from the University of Georgia and spent over two decades in scientific and technical intelligence roles before being asked to establish and direct the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022.

What was AARO and what did Kirkpatrick do there?

AARO was the Pentagon's first formal office dedicated to investigating UAP reports. Kirkpatrick led the office from July 20, 2022 to December 1, 2023. During his 18 months in charge, he steered the establishment of a formal process and mechanisms for Pentagon and intelligence community officials to respond to and make sense of unidentified anomalous phenomena.

What did Kirkpatrick testify to Congress?

On April 19, 2023, Kirkpatrick testified before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. He stated that AARO "has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics." He also testified that the Pentagon was tracking some 650 instances of UAP sightings. According to his testimony, the majority of unidentified objects reported to AARO demonstrated mundane characteristics of balloons, clutter, natural phenomena or other readily explainable sources.

What did Kirkpatrick find about pilot sightings?

Kirkpatrick estimated that nine in 10 of the cases of pilots seeing UAPs that were referred to AARO turned out to be caused by parallax, an optical effect where an object appears to move when the observer's position changes.

What was Kirkpatrick's background before AARO?

Kirkpatrick held several senior intelligence and policy positions before leading AARO. He served as Deputy Director of Intelligence at US Strategic Command, Director of National Security Strategy at the National Security Council, and Deputy Director of Intelligence and DNI Representative for USSPACECOM. He was asked by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security to stand up and lead AARO in early 2022.

What happened after Kirkpatrick left AARO?

Kirkpatrick departed AARO on December 1, 2023, stating his choice to exit was based on reaching his personal and professional goals for the office. He joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory in December 2023 as chief technology officer for defense and intelligence programs.