The key facts

  • AfD, led by Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, asked the government for data on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP/UFO).
  • The German Defense Ministry stated: 'There is no information on unidentified aerial phenomena'; the terms UFO/UAP are not officially used.
  • There are no special reporting channels for pilots and air traffic controllers; responsibility for airspace lies with the Interior, Transport, and Defense Ministries.

Parliamentary inquiry from AfD

The right-wing party 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) sent the government a parliamentary inquiry asking whether government agencies report incidents involving unidentified aerial phenomena and whether any conclusions exist on the topic. The inquiry was signed by the party's co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. According to Anadolu, the inquiry followed recent reports from the US Pentagon, congressional hearings involving pilots and officials, as well as NASA research.

What the deputies asked

In the inquiry, the deputies asked which ministries or agencies are responsible for receiving and evaluating reports of unidentified aerial phenomena and since when records have been kept. They were also interested in whether specific terms and definitions such as 'UAP' or 'UFO' are used, and whether standardized federal guidelines exist for government employees.

Response from the Defense Ministry

The German Defense Ministry responded to the inquiry on behalf of the government; the response was published on the parliament's website this week. 'There is no information on unidentified aerial phenomena,' the ministry stated, adding that the government does not use any special terms or definitions such as 'UFO,' 'UAP,' or 'unidentified contacts.'

Distribution of responsibilities

According to the ministry, monitoring of German airspace is provided by the ministries of the interior, transport, and defense, while tracking of objects near Earth in space is handled by the ministries of research, technology, and space, as well as defense. Officials added that there are no special reporting channels for pilots, air traffic controllers, and other personnel to report sightings of unidentified objects in the air or in space.