UFO report to be published soon detailing ‘difficult to explain’ sightings, former intelligence director says

<p>Former director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe follows behind US President Donald Trump, not pictured, as they depart on the South Lawn of the White House, on 12 December 2020 in Washington, DC</p> ((Getty Images))

Former director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe follows behind US President Donald Trump, not pictured, as they depart on the South Lawn of the White House, on 12 December 2020 in Washington, DC

((Getty Images))
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A former US national intelligence director has claimed that a report will be released soon declassifying several “difficult to explain” UFO sightings.

John Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence during the Trump administration, revealed in an interview with Fox News on Friday that the report will be released in the coming months.

“There are a lot more sightings than have been made public,” Mr Ratcliffe told host Maria Bartiromo.

“Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain.

“Movements that are hard to replicate that we don’t have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom,” he added.

Mr Ratcliffe claimed that sightings have been made “all over the world”, and confirmed that the US government “always look for a plausible explanation” for the reports.

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“When we talk about sightings, the other thing I will tell you is, it’s not just a pilot or just a satellite or some intelligence collection,” he told Fox News.

“But there are instances where we don’t have good explanations for some of the things that we have seen.”

He then claimed that the report will be released by the Pentagon, the secretary of defence and the director of national intelligence by 1 June, 2021.

The former intelligence official made the claims 11 months after the Pentagon released three clips of “unidentified aerial phenomena” that were captured by Navy aircraft cameras.

At the time, former Nevada senator Harry Reid said that the videos, which showed black floating objects travelling at great speeds, “only scratches the surface” of what the government has recorded.

Mr Reid, a Democrat who previously served as the Senate majority leader, set aside $22m (£15.8m) during his time in Congress for UFO investigations and has been vocal on the subject.

“The US needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications,” Mr Reid said last year, adding: “The American people deserve to be informed.”

The Independent has contacted the US Department of Defense for comment.