Pentagon Releases 162 Declassified UFO Files
The Pentagon launched war.gov/ufo on May 8, 2026, making available 162 declassified files related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), including unexplained Apollo 17 photographs and military sighting memos. Two-thirds of the documents are partially redacted.
The government claims it is being transparent, marking a significant step towards public understanding of these mysterious phenomena.
This release is the first batch from PURSUE, the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters—an interagency program established under President Trump's directive to uncover and declassify unresolved records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena.
The Files:
- 120 PDFs
- 28 videos (totaling 41 minutes) capturing encounters between 2020 and 2026
- 14 image files from various sources, including the FBI, Department of War, NASA, and State Department.
The videos, captured primarily by infrared cameras, show white objects moving through the frame. A standout file is a NASA photograph from Apollo 17, depicting three dots in a triangular formation on the lunar sky. The Pentagon suggests it could be a "physical object" but concedes there is no consensus.
The Program:
PURSUE coordinates efforts across multiple federal agencies, including the White House, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Energy, All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (a 2023 establishment), NASA, FBI, and other intelligence components. This initiative supersedes a previous UAP materials publication effort by AARO.
Trump's February 2026 directive on Truth Social instructed federal agencies to identify, review, and declassify documents related to extraterrestrial life and UAPs, leading to this latest release.