Congress: Kirkpatrick Discloses AARO's Classified Web Portal
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick testified before Congress regarding AARO operations, publicly revealing the existence of a secure web portal for UAP case collaboration. He indicated future plans to downgrade materials for public access through an unclassified alternative. The disclosure prompted subsequent transparency requests targeting the classified system.
Background
On April 19, 2023, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, appeared before a congressional committee to discuss UAP investigations. During his testimony, he disclosed operational details of AARO's classified web portal, utilized for collaboration with the intelligence community on sensitive cases.
Kirkpatrick explained that materials were being placed on the secure system temporarily, with intentions to eventually downgrade and release unclassified information through a future public portal. This testimony marked the first official acknowledgment of the classified infrastructure's existence.
The disclosure immediately generated interest among transparency advocates, leading to specific FOIA requests seeking technical details and screenshots of the portal interface.