July 15, 2022 directive; July 20 announcement / T226
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office established
US Department of Defense
Witness account
The Deputy Secretary of Defense directed establishment of AARO on July 15, and DoD announced the office on July 20. Sean Kirkpatrick was named its director. AARO replaced the preceding arrangements with a remit spanning air, maritime and other domains, reflecting expanded statutory requirements and a need to coordinate reporting and analysis across agencies.
Public record
The establishment memoranda and official announcement document its mandate, leadership and administrative placement. The 2022 annual UAP report later uses July 20 as the office's establishment date. These records support describing July 15 as the directive and July 20 as the public establishment milestone, rather than treating the dates as contradictory accounts of two different offices.