As of 2020, the aerial phenomena recorded from the Nimitz and Roosevelt events are characterized by the Department of Defense as "unidentified".[32][33] Widespread media attention to these events has motivated theories and speculations from private individuals and groups about the underlying explanation(s), including those focused upon pseudoscientific topics such as ufology. Regarding the pseudoscientific explanations, writer Matthew Gault stated that these events "reflect the same pattern that's played out dozens of times before. Someone sees something strange in the sky ... and the public jumps to an illogical conclusion".[3] Writing in The New York Times, author and astrophysicist Adam Frank stated that with respect to claims of "evidence of extraterrestrial technology that can defy the laws of physics", the pilot's reports and cockpit instrumentation videos "doesn't amount to much".[34]
Mundane, skeptical explanations include instrument or software malfunction, anomaly or artifact,[35][36] human observational illusion (e.g., parallax) or interpretive error,[10][37][38][39] or common aircraft (e.g., a passenger airliner) or aerial device (e.g., weather balloon). Science writer Mick West argued, "Any time something unidentified shows up in restricted airspace, then that’s a real problem", but cautioned that believers in "alien disclosure" are "encroaching on these real issues of UAPs".[40] West cautioned that "the report suggests the majority of cases, if solved, would turn out to be a variety of things like airborne clutter or natural atmospheric phenomenon. A lack of data does not mean aliens are the likely answer".[41][32][33][3]
