In discussing the recent shooting down of several aerial objects, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that “these unidentified aerial phenomena have been reported for many years without explanation or deep examination by the government.” The Defense Safety Oversight Council in 2010 and 2011 examined more than 100 incidents of near midair collisions (NMAC) with unidentified aerial phenomena reported by the military services.
The Pentagon reviewed each narrative and report and performed analysis comparing notes with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. These near misses with unidentified flying objects, as they were referred to back then, were certainly considered safety risks by the Defense Department. To say otherwise is misleading.
The reported cases were all over the world, and many could be traced to areas where drones and missiles were routinely tested. The Defense Department usually does not do a good job of coordinating flight-test activities with other military units as well as they do with the Federal Aviation Administration. As a result, it is not unusual for military pilots to see something unusual. In one case, two F-22 pilots saw a balloon over Langley, Va., we believe belonged to another agency.
At the time, Ashton B. Carter was chair of the Defense Safety Oversight Council, and I can say he took the issue seriously, as did the safety centers. To say otherwise is misleading and misinformed.
David Sullivan-Nightengale, St. Paul, Minn.
The writer was a safety engineer for the Defense Safety Oversight Council’s executive secretary in 2010 and 2011, and a member of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Aviation Safety Team.