Journalist Reveals Alleged AARO-Enigma Labs Collaboration
Journalist Bryan Bender reported via Twitter that AARO was evaluating Enigma Labs' platform for potential data collection partnerships. The post cited Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough as source. This disclosure prompted subsequent FOIA requests for verification.
Background
On January 19, 2023, journalist Bryan Bender published information on Twitter regarding alleged collaboration between AARO and Enigma Labs. The journalist, formerly with Politico, attributed the information to Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough. According to the post, AARO intended to evaluate Enigma Labs' applications, data streams, and filtering capabilities to determine the utility of open-source data for national security collection efforts. This public claim formed the basis for The Black Vault's subsequent FOIA request filed later that month. The tweet has since been deleted and the account no longer exists, complicating independent verification of the original statement. The disclosure represented one of the first public indications of AARO's engagement with private sector technology providers for UAP data analysis.