A Look At The First Batch Of UFO Files Released By The Pentagon
The Pentagon released its first batch of newly declassified UFO files Friday, opening a new public database of unresolved reports, photos, and videos tied to unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, while stressing that the records do not confirm alien life.
The release, posted May 8 on a new government website called the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, follows a February directive from President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to identify and release government records related to “alien and extraterrestrial life,” UFOs, and UAPs.
“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!,” the President wrote.
The Pentagon said the effort is being coordinated with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and will involve “tens of millions of records” across dozens of agencies. The first tranche includes 162 files from agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Defense, NASA, and the State Department.
The records contain eyewitness testimony, photos, and reports of unexplained sightings dating back decades and from locations around the world. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the release was intended to answer years of public pressure for disclosure. “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation,” Hegseth said in a statement posted with the release. “It’s time the American people see it for themselves.”
The Pentagon said the materials posted on the site involve unresolved cases, meaning the government cannot make a definitive determination about what was observed. Officials said that this could happen for several reasons, including insufficient data, and invited private-sector experts to review the files. The department said new tranches will be posted “every few weeks” as records are found, reviewed, and declassified.
The release includes historical and military imagery, including Apollo-era material, infrared video, pilot accounts, and reports from U.S. military operators. The government website previewed images described as Apollo 17 lunar mission imagery, infrared stills from recent U.S. sightings, and video stills from military platforms in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, known as AARO, has separately published official UAP imagery showing that many cases are eventually resolved as balloons, birds, aircraft, or other ordinary objects. Some remain unresolved because the data is too limited.
In one 2022 European case, AARO said the footage showed a physical object but that its features and behavior were “unremarkable.” In other cases, AARO assessed objects as almost certainly balloons or migratory birds with at least 95% confidence.
