DOW-UAP-D18, Mission Report, Iraq, December 2022

Department of WarPDFIncident ReportSECRETModerate redaction4/10— niche or mildly interestingPURSUE Release 1

Location: Iraq
Incident date: 12/1/22
Released: May 8, 2026

Official Description

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report. A U.S. military operator reported observing one “possible UAP” flying from west to east. The observer did not pursue the UAP. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

UAP Insight Analysis— AI generated, not official

This is a declassified SECRET/NOFORN Mission Report (MISREP) from the 482nd Attack Squadron (482ATKS) documenting an ISR mission conducted over Baghdad, Iraq on December 1-2, 2022, under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. During the mission, at 1620Z on December 1, the airborne asset observed one possible UAP/UAV flying west to east near grid 38SMB42__83__. The observer did not pursue the object and continued the assigned mission with no further UAP events reported.

Key Findings

→At 1620Z on 1 December 2022, an airborne ISR asset observed one possible UAP/UAV flying west to east in the vicinity of grid 38SMB42xx83xx near Baghdad, Iraq.
→The observing asset did not follow or pursue the UAP and continued the assigned ISR mission as tasked.
→No further UAP events were observed after the initial sighting.
→The UAP report records no RF signatures, no physical state description, no altitude/velocity/trajectory data, and no effects on persons.
→The mission was a 19-hour 17-minute ISR sortie originating and returning to OKAS, supporting Operation INHERENT RESOLVE under USCENTCOM.

Analyst Notes

The UAP is described only as 'possible UAP/UAV,' explicitly leaving open a conventional UAV explanation. No sensor data (RF, imagery, radar) was recorded for the object; UAP signatures field is listed as 'No.' The observing asset did not pursue the object, limiting observational data. No altitude, velocity, or trajectory measurements were recorded. All personal identifiers and the observing platform's type and callsign are redacted. Single-platform observation with no corroborating sensor or witness data documented.

Extracted Entities

People

MG Richard A. Harrison (USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, declassification authority)

Agencies & Organizations

482ATKS (482nd Attack Squadron)20FW (20th Fighter Wing)609 AOC / 609 CAOC603 AOC12 AF PAROCUSCENTCOMACC (Air Combat Command)AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office)DGS-AR

Locations

OKAS (takeoff and landing location)Baghdad, IraqGrid 38SMB42xx83xx (UAP first seen location and friendly aircraft location)

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AI analysis by claude-sonnet-4-6 · May 17, 2026