Video of a UFO in Mosul, Iraq, released to the public for the first time
A metallic orb that was captured by a U.S. spy plane in Mosul, Iraq, in 2016 is still being studied, according to Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)
The Pentagon released a video of a UFO flying over an active conflict zone in the Middle East in 2022, and its mere existence creates "the probability of unintended crossfire," according to an expert.
The short clip of a metallic-looking orb flying at a fast pace was shown during Wednesday's hearing before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
The object was first seen moving from the top right of the screen to the bottom left. It temporarily disappears out of view and then briefly reappears.
"This is essentially all the data we have of this event," said Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). "It's going to be virtually impossible to fully identify that just based off that video."
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UAP reporting trends presented during Senate hearing on Wednesday. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)
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The 2022 Middle East orb is considered an "unresolved case," Kirkpatrick told lawmakers, and the footage reminded Jeremy Corbell of the "Mosul Orb," a similar-looking metallic orb recorded by a U.S. spy plane flying over Mosul, Iraq, in 2016.
Corbell, an investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker who was the only civilian named during Congress' historic UAP hearing in May 2022, shared an image of the 2016 "Mosul Orb" with Fox News Digital during an interview in February.
The issue of UAPs — Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, which is the government-created word for UFO — in an active conflict zone creates potential problems because combatants don't know whose assets they are, Corbell said.
It "evokes an additional level of concern due to the probability of unintended crossfire," Corbell told Fox News Digital after watching Wednesday's hearing. "The potential for misidentification could be devastating and should be a call to action for the safety of our service members."
The "Mosul Orb" was recorded by a military reconnaissance plane over Mosul, Iraq, in 2016. (Jeremy Corbell)
Kirkpatrick included an infographic during his presentation that shows how the 2022 Middle East sighting of a metallic orb is consistent with "other metallic orb observations in the region."
There's "no demonstration of enigmatic technical capabilities, and no apparent threat to airborne-asset safety," according to Kirkpatrick's presentation.
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This was one of two specific incidents — out of about 650 reported sightings that the Pentagon is tracking — discussed during the hearing, which is only the second public government meeting about UFOs in the last 50 years.
The footage of the UFO flying over the Middle East in 2022 shows a "spherical UAP." Spherical UAP reportings account for 52 percent of all reportings to AARO, and the UAP in the footage demonstrates characteristics and behavior consistent with those of other metallic orb UAP observations in the region, according to Kirkpatrick.
UAP reporting trends presented during Senate hearing on Wednesday. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)
"This admission causes me to reflect on the ‘Mosul Orb’ image that George Knapp and I obtained and release on our program WeaponizedPodcast.com," Corbell said.
"As you know, we are shooting things down over the United States of America now without really identifying them before we shoot them down," he said during February's interview, in reference to the four aerial objects, including a Chinese spy balloon, that were shot down in American airspace.
"The rules of engagement of how and why we can fire upon objects are completely being rewritten right now."
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Kirkpatrick stressed there needs to be more information and data funneled to the AARO if the department hopes to close "unresolved cases."
"We're working with the joint staff to issue guidance to all the services and commands that will then establish what are the reporting requirements, timeliness and all the data that is required to be delivered to us and retained from all the associated censors," Kirkpatrick said.
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The number of UAP reports has increased over the last few years as the stigma associated with UAPs slowly wears off, and the government ramps up its efforts to address potential safety risks associated with unexplained objects in the sky.
Several whistleblowers and former military pilots, like former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, have come forward to discuss their interactions with potential UFOs through "contacts on our radar, contacts on our camera system."
Eventually, "we were seeing these with our eyeballs," Graves said. "Two aircraft from my squadron were flying side by side and one of these objects went right between their aircraft."
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, testified before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on Wednesday. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)
The ongoing review by the U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon of hundreds of UAP incidents reported by military personnel was one of the techniques that helped identify Chinese spy balloon, a U.S. official said in February.
"Ultimately, no single video of a UAP will make the case for the UFO reality," Corbell said. "That case has been consistently made over the decades when civilians and military pilots alike have reported or recorded objects, events and experiences that defy our current understanding of what's possible.
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"It's important to remember that consensus reality is what dictates our beliefs, and time and time again, consensus reality has shifted to accommodate discovery and actual reality. We must change and adapt when we learn new truths.
"The acknowledgment of the UFO presence is likely one of those formative moments for humanity."
