The Office of Naval Intelligence (oni.navy.mil) is the institutional backbone of the entire US UAP reporting structure. KEY FACTS: The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was established INSIDE ONI on August 14, 2020 — the Navy housed the UAP task force before AARO existed. The 2021 UAP report mandate by Congress explicitly named ONI as a primary data source. The Navy established the first official UAP reporting mechanism in March 2019 — no standardized reporting existed before this. The majority of the 144 observations in the 2021 report came from Navy personnel. ONI’S 5 CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE include the NIMITZ WARFARE ANALYSIS CENTER — named after Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, but also the exact same name as USS Nimitz — the aircraft carrier central to the 2004 Tic Tac encounter where FLIR1 was recorded by Lt. Cmdr. Chad Underwood. ONI operates the Nimitz Warfare Analysis Center, the Farragut Technical Analysis Center, the Kennedy Maritime Analysis Center, the Hopper Global Communications Center, and the Brooks Center for Maritime Engagement. NURO CONNECTION: ONI jointly operates NURO (National Underwater Reconnaissance Office) with the CIA — the body focused on underwater UAP reconnaissance and retrieval per UAP Gerb research. This makes ONI the direct institutional link between surface UAP encounters (Nimitz 2004, USS Omaha 2019) and sub-surface retrieval operations. AARO FY2024: 1,652 total UAP reports as of October 2024. Director Jon Kosloski: “There are interesting cases that I, with my physics and engineering background and time in the IC, I do not understand. And I don’t know anybody else who understands them either.” GALLAUDET 2024: Retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet (former Navy oceanographer) published March 2024 report stating underwater UAP capability “jeopardizes US maritime security” — called for transmedium UAP to be elevated to national ocean research priority. Direct URL: oni.navy.mil