The US Department of Defense has just announced the implementation of a mechanism to securely report UFO events on the website of the Office of Anomalies (Aaro), according to The Guardian on November 2.

However, the new mechanism is temporarily only available to current or former federal officials, or those with knowledge of U.S. government programs or activities related to so-called "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAP), the Pentagon's official name for UFOs.

The mechanism for accepting reports from civilians will soon be put into place, US officials said, in a move that shows the US government is making good on its promise to be completely open about what it knows, or doesn't know, about everything from strange lights in the sky to the possibility of extraterrestrial life and unusual "aircraft" sightings.

The deployment of the new tool comes after NASA appointed Mark McInerney as the first director of its UAP research effort. The space agency also promised to bring together an army of stargazers from around the world to improve observations and analyze unusual phenomena.

On the agency's website, Aaro said the new tool serves as an initial point of contact, and does not accept secondary sources of information about UAPs.

Aaro Director Sean Kirkpatrick said people who have seen or experienced UAPs are welcome to come forward with information. What they provide will be kept confidential and considered protected information.