Niamh Spence
US Intelligence Officials have admitted to receiving regular reports of UFO sightings.
The sightings aren't just the odd one here or there either, as an official described them as 'frequent and continuous'.
In the congressional meeting, which is the first in 50 years, two videos were played with believed UFO sightings. Over 400 reports of sightings by US military are now being investigated.
Take a look below:
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At the beginning of the meeting, a US naval official stated that UFO sightings have been common on military ranges since the 2000s. The sightings of UFOs are also called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) in official reports, and comes after leaked videos from the US Navy appear to show unexplainable objects.
Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray told members of the US House Intelligence Committee's subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation that more than 140 UFO sightings since 2004 could not be explained, and and were not tricks of light or sensors.
He said: "It’s clear that many of the sightings are physical objects, based on the data that we have."
He clarified that most of the sightings fall into one of five categories; airborne clutter, national atmospheric phenomena, US industry development programs, foreign adversaries, or 'other'.
US intelligence official Ronald S Moultrie added: "We have very fleeting data on these objects."
Also in the meeting, videos were shown to demonstrate the difficulties in displaying and identifying objects. One of the clips appeared to show green triangles flying over a US warship and a second video showed a similar incident.
A further clip taken from a US Navy warplane's cockpit showed a 'spherical' silver object flying in the sky in a very brief piece of footage. Bray confirmed to the committee meeting that the object is still unexplained.
He added that there have been 11 near misses with unidentified objects, but currently no collisions. Mr Bray also added the US hasn't attempted communication with or fired any weapons at the objects.
The meeting also heard how records now indicate there have been 400 unexplained sightings, which is an increase from the 144 recorded in last year's Pentagon report.
Mr Moultire explained: 'We know that our service members have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena, and because UAP pose potential flight safety and general security risks, we are committed to a focused effort to determine their origins."
The meeting held today is the first in 50 years, and has been called specifically to focus on the emerging issue of UFO sightings. US Congressman Andre Carson chaired the meeting alongside US Congressman Adam Schiff, and in opening remarks said there needs to be more openness in reporting sightings like these.
He said: "UAPs are unexplained, it's true. But they are real."
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