There were apparently only 3 full-time employees working for the Pentagon’s UFO investigative branch up until recently.
The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), which sought to “standardize the collecting and reporting” of UFO sightings, was replaced by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the most recent government initiative to look into the UFO issue, last year.
But, a group of 16 senators from the US, led by Republicans Marco Rubio and Kirsten Gillibrand, have warned the Pentagon in a joint letter that the office is currently experiencing a “funding shortfall that will impede its ability to fulfill its mission.”
“The amount outlined in the classified attachment is crucial to AARO’s scientific plan, and the lack of funding for these capabilities presents a serious impediment to AARO’s mission,” the letter reads.
In fact, the situation is so dire that, up until recently, AARO apparently only employed 3 full-time workers.
“They have a couple of extra helping hands but it’s a small office in Crystal City, Virginia,” said one source. “However, I suspect they are in the process of bringing more on board.”
Meanwhile, a different person who went inside the workplace described it as a “cave of winds.”
“Mostly empty desks, but there were perhaps 4-6 people around as I recall, including Sean [AARO director Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick] and his Deputy,” they said.
“It is certainly true that AARO did not receive adequate funds to support its work to include money for R&D [research and development] and analysis.”
We’ll have to wait and see if the letter succeeds in gaining more backing for the office.