March 2019; publicly reported April 23, 2019 / T218
Navy standardizes UAP reporting
US Navy aviation
Witness account
The Navy established a standardized reporting mechanism for unidentified aerial phenomena in March 2019, according to the later ODNI assessment. Public reporting in April brought attention to guidance encouraging personnel to document unusual incursions and observations. The policy sought usable operational information and reduced reporting barriers, rather than requiring pilots to reach an extraordinary conclusion before submitting a report.
Public record
The June 2021 ODNI report supplies the implementation month. Released Navy public-affairs emails and briefing material document discussion of the guidance and its purpose. They also show why descriptions of entirely new rules should be checked against existing aviation-safety and intelligence-reporting procedures that were being revised or standardized.