The U.S. government wants to take reports of unidentified flying objects more seriously based on unexplained sightings reported by military pilots over the years, according to a new intelligence report that made no mention of theories that aliens may be visiting.
The Director of National Intelligence said in the findings released Friday that pilots will be encouraged to report "unexplained aerial phenomena” — the government’s preferred term for UFO sightings — in an effort to collect additional data. That’s a change from the government’s previous stance, which often involved ignoring or downplaying the phenomena.
But the nine-page report cites "the limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena” which "hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions.” The word "alien” doesn’t appear in the document.