As the search continues for three mysterious objects shot down over Canada and the U.S., the White House says it will be engaging its allies on the subject of "unidentified aerial phenomena."
"These unidentified aerial phenomena have been reported for many years, without explanation or deep examination by the government," White House national security council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. "President Biden has changed all that. We are finally trying to understand them better."
Unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP for short, is a term used in official circles for what are more commonly known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. Kirby described it as "an issue that affects everybody around the world."
"Secondly, we are consulting with allies and partners on the challenge of unidentified aerial phenomenon and how we can all work together to deal with that challenge," Kirby explained. "The president has directed the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence to engage with their relevant counterparts to share information and to try to gain their perspectives as well."
CTVNews.ca reached out to relevant Canadian departments like Global Affairs, National Defence and Public Safety to learn more, but did not receive responses.
While Canadian and American officials both looked into UFOs during the Cold War, little was known about subsequent programs until a December 2017 investigation by The New York Times revealed that the Pentagon had been quietly studying the national security implications of UAP since 2007. Amid renewed public and political interest, in 2020 the Pentagon publicly announced the creation of the UAP Task Force. That group has now been replaced by what's known as the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which was established thanks to a bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate.
"UAPs pose a significant challenge to our national security, appearing in sensitive U.S. airspace and around military personnel," U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Kirsten Gillibrand, a Republican and a Democrat, said in a joint December 2021 statement.
A headline-grabbing June 2021 report from U.S. intelligence officials described recent U.S. military sightings, including UAP that appeared to "manoeuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernable means of propulsion." In an updated report from Jan. 12, 2023, U.S. officials said 171 out of 510 reports remained "uncharacterized and unattributed," and that some of them involved UAP that appeared "to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis."
"We apply the highest analytic and scientific standards," Sean M. Kirkpatrick, the Pentagon program's current director, said during a December 2022 media roundtable. "We execute our mission objectively and without sensationalism and we do not rush to conclusions."
NASA has also announced its own UAP study program, which started work in October 2022.
"Understanding the data we have surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomena is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what is happening in our skies," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. "Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable, explainable."
The issue has taken on a new urgency following the February 2023 downing of three unidentified objects and a suspected Chinese spy balloon in North American airspace.
"The president also instructed the Intelligence Community to take a broad look at the phenomenon of unidentified aerial objects," Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said on Monday. "Indeed, President Biden conducted the first-ever Daily Intelligence Briefing session devoted to this phenomenon back in June of 2021. He was briefed that this is not just an issue for the United States but one for the rest of the world. And as I said, our friends and our partners are dealing with this as well."
This wouldn't be the first time U.S. officials reached out to their Canadian counterparts about UAP, an acronym that's also used for the term "unidentified anomalous phenomena."
CTVNews.ca previously reported that members of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force briefed Canadian military personnel nearly a year ago, on Feb. 22, 2022. Former Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan also received a UAP briefing from Canadian military officials in May 2021, and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra's staff held their own internal UAP briefing in May 2022.
Declassified documents and public records reveal decades of reports of unidentified objects and lights over Canada from police officers, soldiers, air traffic controllers and pilots on medical, military, cargo and passenger flights operated by WestJet, Air Canada Express, Porter Airlines, Delta and more. In 2022 alone, CTVNews.ca discovered 11 reports like these from pilots flying for airlines such as Air Canada, WestJet, Virgin Atlantic, United and KLM. The most recent report comes from Feb. 7, 2023, when a cargo flight from Miami to Amsterdam "observed unusual lights, moving erratically 40000ft to 50000ft" while flying near Nova Scotia.
Transport Canada, which operates the online aviation incident database where many of these reports are found, cautions that they contain "preliminary, unconfirmed data which can be subject to change."
A spokesperson from Transport Canada previously told CTVNews.ca that UAP reports "have no potential for regulatory enforcement and often fall outside the department’s mandate."
"Reports of unidentified objects can rarely be followed up on as they are as the title implies, unidentified," they said.
For its part, the Canadian military routinely states that it does "not typically investigate sightings of unknown or unexplained phenomena outside the context of investigating credible threats, potential threats, or potential distress in the case of search and rescue." Before the recent downing of the three unidentified objects this month, at least four cases appear to have met that criteria since 2016.
Conservative defence critic James Bezan believes Canadian officials ought to be paying more attention to this enigmatic issue.
"The Canadian government needs to implement a scientific plan to identify the origins and intent of UAP," Bezan previously told CTVNews.ca. "Conservatives believe the best way to start that process is for government to adopt a streamlined, whole-of-government approach to standardize the collection of reports across numerous departments and contractors… All efforts undertaken to investigate UAP should be made public in a responsible manner."
U.S. officials regularly state there is no evidence that UAP represent extraterrestrial technology.
"We have detected no emanations within the UAP Task Force that would suggest it's anything non-terrestrial in origin," Scott Bray, the deputy director of U.S. naval intelligence, said in May 2022, during the first congressional hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years.
In Monday's briefing, Kirby also shot down theories that the three downed objects could have otherworldly origins.
"I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens, with respect to these craft. Period," Kirby, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, said. "I don’t think there’s any more that needs to be said there."
In a Tuesday update, Kirby said a "leading explanation" is that three objects "could just be balloons tied to some commercial or benign purpose."
Officials and experts agree that there are likely many explanations for UAP sightings, including drones, lasers, balloons, satellites, meteors, floating lanterns, weather phenomena, advanced military technology and more.
"I'm a firm believer that these UAPs are not from another planet and another universe," Iain Boyd, professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado, told CTVNews.ca. "I think that there's no one explanation, though, for all these different UAP events, but one of the most likely ones is going to be some kind of experimental vehicles or surveillance vehicles."
Robert Powell is a Texas-based engineer and founding board member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, which is an international thinktank dedicated to applying scientific principals to UAP research. The group appears more open to possibilities.
"I'm sure a small percentage of UAP reports may be related to foreign surveillance, just as a small percentage are truly anomalous and unexplainable," Powell told CTVNews.ca. "The vast majority of reports should have an explanation."
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Jury selection is set to start today for the trial of a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women.
Nine-year-old Carter Vigh was having a great day last July 11, visiting a waterpark, enjoying a picnic lunch and playing soccer with other kids at a day camp run by his mother, Amber Vigh.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
A Sydney bishop who was stabbed repeatedly in an alleged extremist attack blamed on a teenager has backed X Corp. owner Elon Musk's legal bid to overturn an Australian ban on sharing graphic video of the attack on social media.
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbour since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago.
A reluctant Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Thursday as his hush money trial resumed at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president.
A ship travelling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
Nine-year-old Carter Vigh was having a great day last July 11, visiting a waterpark, enjoying a picnic lunch and playing soccer with other kids at a day camp run by his mother, Amber Vigh.
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. while his campaign has embraced the platform and tried to work with influencers.
A new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but his own government will continue to look out for Canadians' security.
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
In the last year, Tim Hortons has treated cottaging Canadians to a boat drivethru, revived its beloved Dutchie doughnut and launched flatbread pizzas. But perhaps its biggest surprise will come this summer.
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
New condo sales in the Toronto region dropped to the lowest quarterly total since the financial crisis in 2009 amid high interest rates and affordability issues, a new report has found.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
We feel good about ourselves and we feel we can go in there and win a game," Bowness said.
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
The yo-yoing gas prices in B.C.'s Lower mainland continues with fuel jumping nine cents Thursday morning.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
Toronto police say the homicide unit is investigating after a man was reportedly pushed to his death from a balcony downtown late Wednesday night.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is expected to be the centre of attention as the first debate in the Alberta NDP leadership race is held Thursday night.
Ten things happening around Calgary this weekend.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating following a shooting that happened earlier this month at the wrong residence in the Champlain Township.
It's another headache for drivers who have a vehicle stolen, what to do if they want to sell after their stolen vehicle was damaged and then recovered.
Many thought they had seen the final curtain call at Troyes Cinema, located on Garrison Petawawa, when the movie theatre closed in 2022.
A mother and daughter are speaking out after a Quebec man was sentenced to house arrest for years of domestic abuse. They were both physically assaulted by the mother's ex-partner and say the offender got off with another light sentence.
Speaking to CTV News, some Montreal drivers said they were in favour of the new measure and said they'd like to see Quebec follow suit.
A major operation rallying 25 police forces across Quebec has led to the arrest of 40 alleged sex offenders considered at high risk of reoffending.
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Local multilingual radio station My Radio 580 will broadcast the Edmonton Elks' home games, the club announced Thursday.
After three straight days with highs of 19 C and 20 C highs, we'll see some cooler air settle in for today and Friday.
Community members gathered at a Bedford, N.S., mosque for Ahmad Al Marrach — a 16-year-old murder victim — for his funeral on Wednesday.
New Brunswick RCMP says officers rescued three people from alleged human trafficking in Moncton, arresting an 18-year-old woman in the process.
Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Minister has written to his federal counterpart to ask for changes to the Criminal Code relating to bail and detention in cases of intimate partner violence.
Jury selection is set to start today for the trial of a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women.
The Manitoba RCMP is set to make an announcement on Thursday regarding a double homicide in the province.
A new fight is gearing up at city hall over Lemay Forest.
A Waterloo man needed to be taken away by air ambulance following a crash on King Street.
Three dogs died in the blaze.
A Waterloo, Ont. teacher says she’s frustrated after learning the arthritis medication she depends on is no longer covered under her benefits plan and she'll have to switch pharmacies to avoid paying out of pocket.
A Saskatchewan woman who was taken for an involuntary mental health assessment is entitled to find out who had her committed, a provincial court judge has ruled.
Many Saskatchewan residents have been receiving unsolicited political text messages of the Sask. Party taking aim at the Saskatchewan NDP and their leader Carla Beck. Media experts say texting can be an effective campaign tool, but parties run the risk of annoying some voters.
International aircraft giant Boeing has made a multi-million dollar commitment to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT) to help address shortages in the aviation industry.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
A serious crash involving two vehicles has closed Highway 101 in the Timmins area since 1 a.m., police say.
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) Auxiliary is celebrating 100 years of service. Since 1999, the Auxiliary has made contributions, totaling over $10 million towards the hospital's critical needs.
In the midst of a homelessness crisis, an influx of asylum seekers is putting additional pressure on London, Ont.’s limited number of permanent shelter beds.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Reports indicate Honda is retooling its assembly plant in Alliston to produce fully electric vehicles.
Instructors from the United Kingdom College of Policing brought the victim support instructors to Barrie.
A snake habitat on Pelee Island will be restored. Through a multi-partner collaboration, conservation work on Pelee Island will continue through 2026.
A 911 hang-up call has led to the arrest of two people in Chatham-Kent. Just after 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to an address on Bloomfield Road for the hang-up call.
A Windsor man convicted in a violent murder 20 years ago was successful in his ‘faint hope’ bid for an early chance at freedom after a jury agreed he should be given the chance to apply for early parole eligibility.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Nine-year-old Carter Vigh was having a great day last July 11, visiting a waterpark, enjoying a picnic lunch and playing soccer with other kids at a day camp run by his mother, Amber Vigh.
A Canadian sports economist is encouraging Canucks fans to enjoy the team’s playoff run, but cautioning against having big expectations around economic spinoffs.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
It’s not even May 1 and the fire risk for southern Alberta is already alarming.
Whoop-Up Days is still four months away, but applications to be in this year’s parade are now open.
Lethbridge has added 28 physicians over the past year, according to a quarterly report published by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
Some members of the Garden River First Nation are demanding answers regarding the disbursement of the Robinson-Huron Treaty settlement funds.
The Ontario Provincial Police, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, have charged a suspect with murder following a homicide in a remote northwestern Ontario community.
A 15-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie has been charged following an incident on Bay Street on Tuesday.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Uber Technologies Inc. says it has brought its ridesharing platform to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
