The Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have released their joint fiscal year 2023 report on unidentified anomalous phenomena sightings submitted from Aug. 31, 2022, to April 30 of this year.

DOD and ODNI revealed Wednesday that the DOD’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, received 274 UAP reports during the period, most of which reflected a bias toward military airspace restrictions but made no implication that the sightings caused adverse health effects.

According to AARO, some of the sightings exhibited unusual maneuverability or high-speed travel. None of the UAPs appeared to approach civil or military aircraft in unsafe proximity or posed a direct threat to vehicles used for observing the phenomenon.

AARO said that its investigation of UAP cases are a work in progress, and noted the need for better resources to improve its operations. It cited certain gaps in domain awareness such as insufficient data gathered from sensors and radar, which lead to observational misperceptions.

“Analyzing and understanding the potential threats posed by UAP is an ongoing collaborative effort involving many departments and agencies,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, DOD press secretary, said in a statement. “We take reports of incursions into our designated space, land, sea, or airspaces seriously and examine each one.”

The Department of Defense will establish a new innovation center in Ohio to accelerate the development and adoption of next-generation technologies to meet national security challenges and eliminate barriers for small businesses to work with the U.S. military.

DOD will invest $1.9 million in the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center, which will host different organizations from the government, academia and industry to develop and test prototypes in realistic environments and transition technologies into weapon systems, the office of Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced Wednesday.

“We worked together to bring this regional hub to Ohio to create new opportunities for Ohio businesses and workers, and to continue to cement our state’s leadership in defense, manufacturing, and aerospace,” Brown said.

The new hub will be headquartered in Dayton and operated by the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center, part of a Mission Acceleration Center National Network, and Ohio’s Parallax Advanced Research.

Customs and Border Protection, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, has completed its interoperability standards test with Mesur IO, Neoflow and Transmute to enable global supply chain data transparency.

The test was initiated as part of the Silicon Valley Innovation Program and demonstrated technologies designed to enable real-time data exchange between CBP and the start-ups to enhance international trade, DHS S&T said Wednesday.

The technologies allowed CBP to combine data from the start-ups with information already in the Automated Commercial Environment.

“This real-time testing with CBP demonstrated the maturity of the standards, the commercial readiness of the startup’s technology platforms and their ability to support CBP’s trade modernization efforts,” said Melissa Oh, managing director of SVIP.

The initiative focused on the development of technologies that implement global standards, including the World-Wide Web Consortium Verifiable Credential Data Model, Linked Data and W3C Decentralized Identifiers.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 15 to learn about the U.S. government’s national security priorities and initiatives. Click here to register for the highly anticipated event.

Reps. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., and Jim Baird, R-Ind., have introduced bipartisan legislation to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act to advance quantum research and development in the U.S.

The Quantum Instrumentation for Science and Engineering Act would direct the National Science Foundation to invest in upgrading domestic research facilities and enhancing access to resources to support R&D in quantum information science, Salinas’ office said Friday.

“By providing new grants for our research institutions, we can maintain our competitive advantage and ensure America doesn’t fall behind in this crucial area of scientific development,” Baird said.

The bill is endorsed by the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Purdue University and Indiana University.

“Ultimately, our legislation will help secure America’s position at the cutting-edge of quantum research and development for decades to come,” Salinas said.

The Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General has recommended that the director of the Defense Logistics Agency address the deficiencies identified in the Care of Supplies in Storage program and update guidance for COSIS inspections and warehousing operations.

The DLA director should also establish a formal training program to help achieve an adequate COSIS program, according to a report released Monday.

The OIG made the recommendations after conducting an audit of DLA’s performance when it comes to storing and caring for repair parts and components for the Army’s ground combat systems, also known as GCS, in compliance with the DOD’s guidelines and policies.

The inspector general’s office reviewed $1.96 billion worth of Army GCS repair parts and components.

“We found that nearly $1.31 billion (67 percent) in parts and components are in immediate danger of degrading and that the improper storage and care of parts and components created safety hazards that could potentially lead to injuries among DLA personnel,” said Robert Storch, inspector general of the DOD.

The OIG also called on the head of Army Tank-Automotive Armaments Command to direct materiel managers to perform periodic GCS visual inspections in DLA storage.