英国防部停止对UFO的调查

英国国防部UFO调查局的工作内容是评估英国境内的UFO目击事件是否构成威胁，该机构自成立以来共受理了超过1.2万次不明飞行物目击报告，其中去年收到报告135例。
The MoD department, which has dealt with more than 12,000 reports – including 135 last year - was used to assess threats posed by any Unidentified Flying Objects sightings throughout Britain.

发言人称，随着UFO热线的关闭，国防部将停止对不明飞行物报告的追踪与调查。
Any reports made would now not be investigated or followed up as the hotline had been closed, a spokesman said.
　　
UFO专家对于这项决定表示不满。
UFO experts expressed anger at the decision.
　　
国防部高级官员们认为调查目击事件毫无收益，并且是在“浪费国防资源”；最终决定关闭这个创建于1950年，每年开销达5万英镑的机构。
MoD chiefs made the decision to close the £50,000 a year department, established in 1950, after deciding there was no benefit investigating sightings which were “an inappropriate use of defence resources”.
　　
在递交了一项基于《自由信息法》的申请后，国防部承认针对所有UFO目击事件的调查行动“使得国防资源不能专注于本职工作”。
After an application under the Freedom of Information Act, the MoD admitted that responding to every UFO sightings “diverts MoD resources from tasks that are relevant to Defence”.
　　
没有公开声明，取而代之的是本月早些时候，该机构在自己的网站上公布了这一决定。
No decision was announced and the disclosure was instead buried on its website earlier this month.
　　
该公告中称，在50多年里“并无任何UFO报告能够出具证据，以显示其对英国构成潜在威胁”。
It said that in more than 50 years “no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom”.
　　
经过调查后，约有5%的报告仍旧悬而未决。
After investigation, around 5 per cent of reports remain unexplained.
　　
“国防部无法确定是否有外星生命体存在，”该发言人称。
“The MOD has no opinion on the existence or otherwise of extra-terrestrial life,” the spokesman said.
　　
“国防部的具体职责中并不涵盖追踪目击事件真相这一内容。”
“The MOD has no specific capability for identifying the nature of such sightings.”
　　
“因此，为了更好地运用国防资源，我们决定自2009年12月1日起正式关闭UFO线索热线服务，并注销相应邮件地址。”
“Accordingly, and in order to make best use of Defence resources, we have decided that from the 1 December 2009 the dedicated UFO hotline answer-phone service and e-mail address will be withdrawn.”
　　
他还补充到：“对于已受理的UFO目击事件，国防部将停止相关的调查行动。”
He added: “MOD will no longer respond to reported UFO sightings or investigate them.”
　　
1991至1994年间曾参与了英国国防部不明飞行物调查行动的尼克．波普指出，这一决定“令人无法理解”。
Nick Pope, who ran the Ministry of Defence UFO project from 1991 to 1994, said it was “outrageous”.
　　
“我们将会为恐怖活动提供可以乘虚而入的机会，”他在接受《太阳报》采访时说。
“We’re leaving ourselves wide open to terrorist attacks,” he told The Sun.
　　
相关发言人称，国防部仍会将该机构的UFO目击事件档案转交给国家档案馆。
The spokesman said the programme to release departmental files on UFO matters to the National Archive would continue.