USCENTCOM's Circled Anomaly Over Iraq, May 2022

Brief

US Central Command submitted a still image to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office documenting a 2022 UAP encounter in Iraq. The reporting operator could not positively identify the object and noted it was moving from north to northeast. Before submission, the original reporter digitally altered the image by encircling the area of interest with a red line — meaning AARO received a modified, not original, artifact. The recommendation is signed by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and is accompanied by companion mission report DoW-UAP-D12.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Location

Iraq

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

1 pages

Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Programs

AARO, DoW-UAP-D12

Tags

still image, elongated contrast, north-to-northeast movement, Iraq, Kuwait, 2022, AARO submission, DoW-UAP-D12, digitally altered imagery

Key points

• The reporting operator digitally altered the source imagery prior to submission to AARO by adding a red encircling line around the area of interest — AARO received a modified artifact, not the original.
• The UAP was reported moving from north to northeast; the operator was unable to positively identify the object.
• The image shows an elongated area of contrast in the top left quarter, with contrast increasing in intensity from top left to bottom right.
• A companion mission report, DoW-UAP-D12, accompanies this AARO submission and contains additional mission context.
• The USCENTCOM recommendation to AARO was signed by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 8 October 2025.p.1
• The document covers six consecutive MDR references (25-0094 through 25-0099) under tracking number JS-250710-TM8S, indicating a batch submission rather than a single standalone referral.p.1

Verbatim

• USCENTCOM MDR 25-0094 thru MDR 25-0099 / JS-250710-TM8S

  p.1

• USCENTCOM Recommendation to AARO 10/17/25

  p.1

• Recommendation by MG Richard A. Harrison USCENTCOM Chief of Staff

  p.1

• Recommended on: 8 Oct 25

  p.1

Most interesting

• The original reporter altered the submitted imagery before it reached AARO by drawing a red encircling line around the area of interest — the anomaly record in AARO's files is not a clean original capture.
• The file header lists the incident location as Kuwait while the release metadata lists Iraq; neither the description nor the page text resolves this discrepancy.
• The document spans six consecutive MDR numbers (25-0094 through 25-0099), consistent with a batch declassification sweep rather than a targeted single-case release.
• The war.gov description carries an explicit analytical disclaimer: readers are instructed not to interpret the image description as reflecting 'an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event's validity, nature, or significance.'