Pentagon: Closed-door AARO media briefing on UAP Historical Report (March 2024)
The Pentagon held an exclusive media roundtable on March 6, 2024, for select journalists to discuss AARO's upcoming Historical Record Report Volume 1. Participants had to agree to a strict embargo until the public release two days later. The event offered early access to the congressionally mandated review of government UAP programs.
Background
On March 6, 2024, the Department of Defense conducted a closed-door briefing at the Pentagon for a carefully selected group of media representatives. The event focused on the forthcoming Historical Record Report Volume 1 (HRRV1) produced by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). This report represented the first installment of a congressionally mandated historical review required under the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
The briefing was organized by Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough and featured Acting AARO Director Tim Phillips. Invitations were sent to major outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Politico, Task & Purpose, and The Washington Post. Strict conditions applied: the event was marked as off-record for planning purposes only and required attendees to agree to an embargo until March 8, 2024.
FOIA documents released under case 24-F-0895 revealed the specific terms of participation. Journalists had to confirm in writing their agreement to the embargo to receive advance copies of the report. While the roundtable itself was described as on-record and off-camera, only one representative per outlet was permitted, and invitations were non-transferable. The disclosure of these records by The Black Vault provided transparency about which journalists had early access to this significant UAP disclosure.