23 November 2021
(U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.)
The whole text:
“Today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in
close collaboration with the Director of National Intelligence, directed the
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security to establish within
the Office of the USD(I&S) the Airborne Object Identification and Management
Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) as the successor to the U.S. Navy’s Unidentified
Aerial Phenomena Task Force. The AOIMSG
will synchronize efforts across the Department and the broader U.S. government
to detect, identify and attribute objects of interests in Special Use Airspace
(SUA), and to assess and mitigate any associated threats to safety of flight
and national security. To provide
oversight of the AOIMSG, the Deputy Secretary also directed the USD(I&S) to
lead an Airborne Object Identification and Management Executive Council
(AOIMEXEC) to be comprised of DoD and Intelligence Community membership, and to
offer a venue for U.S. government interagency representation.
Incursions by any airborne object into our SUA pose
safety of flight and operations security concerns, and may pose national
security challenges. DOD takes reports
of incursions – by any airborne object, identified or unidentified – very
seriously, and investigates each one.
This decision is the result of planning efforts and collaboration
conducted by OUSD(I&S) and other DoD elements at the direction of Deputy
Secretary Hicks, to address the challenges associated with assessing UAP
occurring on or near DOD training ranges and installations highlighted in the
DNI preliminary assessment report submitted to Congress in June 2021. The report also identified the need to make
improvements in processes, policies, technologies, and training to improve our
ability to understand UAP.
In coming weeks, the Department will issue
implementing guidance, which will contain further details on the AOIMSG
Director, organizational structure, authorities, and resourcing.”
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2853121/dod-announces-the-establishment-of-the-airborne-object-identification-and-manag/