FOIA Response Reveals Contact Between AARO and Enigma Labs; Details Remain Largely Redacted

In a new batch of documents obtained by The Black Vault, the Department of Defense has released direct communications between the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and Enigma Labs, a private company working in the UAP research space. The release stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by The Black Vault in January 2023, and finalized on July 3, 2025, under case number 23-F-0711. The documents include 50 pages of emails and internal correspondence, many of which are redacted, shedding little light on early coordination between the government’s UAP investigative office and outside technology partners.

The FOIA request was submitted based on public claims suggesting a partnership with AARO on UAP-related efforts. To narrow the scope, The Black Vault referenced such public claims, including those stating that Enigma Labs was collaborating with AARO to support data collection and analytics.

One such claim came via journalist Bryan Bender, formerly of Politico, who posted on January 19, 2023: “AARO is partnering with Enigma Labs to evaluate their application, data stream and filtering capabilities to determine the utility of its open source data to augment its collection efforts focused on national security areas only. Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough tells me.” However, Bender’s tweet has since been deleted and his account no longer exists, making independent verification difficult.

In total, 50 pages of records were identified as responsive. However, the majority of the content was redacted under FOIA exemptions (b)(5) and (b)(6). Exemption (b)(5) protects inter-agency or intra-agency communications that are part of the deliberative process, while (b)(6) covers information that would result in a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Among the sparse unredacted information, one segment, which appears to be from Enigma Labs, offered a rare look into the company’s internal structure. The message stated: “[redacted]…this week detailing the push for standardized, data- driven, rational reporting. And the call for the new AOIMSG office to work with external partners on data collection and analytics. We have a team of 20 engineers, data scientists, and ex service vets with clearance who have built this rigorous product.”

While the author of the message is not explicitly confirmed, the context strongly suggests it originated from Enigma Labs. If so, this statement offers one of the few glimpses into the extent of the organization’s operational team.

Other fragments from the documents indicate that multiple virtual and in-person meetings were held between Enigma Labs representatives and AARO personnel, including then Director Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick. Topics discussed likely included Enigma Labs’ technical capabilities, data redaction pipelines, and demonstrations of their platform. However, due to the extensive redactions, few specifics about the content or outcomes of these meetings are known.

In another message from Kirkpatrick, a reference was made to “public private partnerships” and collaborative strategies to tackle the UAP issue, in which members on the Hill were apparently “very receptive” to the idea. Still, the nature and extent of any formal agreement, if any, between Enigma Labs and AARO remains unknown within the released material in this case.

The Black Vault has reached out to Enigma Labs in the past to gain insight into meetings with the DOD as revealed through previous FOIA requests, however, no response was ever received.

The Black Vault is appealing the redactions, arguing that the volume and scope of withheld information, especially under exemption (b)(5), prevent transparency on an issue of high public interest.

Enigma Labs has been at the center of both interest and criticism within the UAP community. While the company presents itself as a scientific and technologically driven organization seeking to bring rigor to UAP reporting and analysis, others have questioned its transparency and affiliations. Some critics argue that partnerships with government entities raise concerns about data control and narrative shaping.

For context, Enigma Labs operates through its website at https://enigmalabs.io and states its mission is to use advanced tools such as machine learning and mobile technology to crowdsource and analyze UAP sightings. The company has largely kept details about its internal team out of the public eye, making this FOIA release, albeit limited, a rare look into its government interactions and the team it has.

The FOIA response and records can be viewed below.

See Also: Enigma Labs, USAF and Unknown Entities give NASA UAP Presentation

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Document Archive

FOIA Case 23-F-0711 Release Package [52 Pages, 2.5MB]

 

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