I do not believe any of the alien stories. Fuzzy pictures are terrible evidence.
WITHOUT any “aliens” technology was inevitably going to move any arms race to space. No bogeyman is or was needed for that.
I think there could be other sentient people in the universe.
I just seriously doubt so many would be coming here suddenly in the last century-minus, esp. w/o real contact.
IOW, most stories are false or major misunderstandings.
Quix, RIP.