The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that it has released a first batch of previously classified documents on unidentified flying objects (UFOs, as they used to be called), a subject that fascinates even the president.
“These documents, which were classified as defense secrets, have long fueled unwarranted speculation, and it is time for the American people to gain direct access” to them, Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
Trump had announced in February that he intended to order federal agencies to “identify and release” their files on aliens and “unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) as part of the PURSUE initiative for maximum transparency.”
According to the Associated Press, the first batch posted on a special Pentagon website consists of 162 files, including old State Department cables, FBI documents and transcribed conversations of NASA manned space missions.
One document describes a statement to the FBI by a person claiming to be a drone pilot who said that in September 2023 he saw a “linear object” with such bright light that he could see “stripes within the light.” The object was visible for 5-10 seconds and then the light went out and the object disappeared, according to the affidavit.
Another file is a NASA photograph from the 1972 Apollo 17 space mission showing three dots in a triangular formation. The Pentagon says in the caption that “there was no consensus on the type of anomaly,” but a new, preliminary analysis says it could be a “material object.”
The Pentagon has been working to declassify UFO-related documents for years, and Congress in 2022 established an office to declassify material. His first report, in 2024, revealed hundreds of new UAP events but found no evidence that the US government had ever confirmed sightings of alien technology.
Congress ordered the Pentagon to release decades-old records as some military personnel spoke about their experiences of encounters with unidentified aircraft. A group of Republicans pushed further, accusing the Defense Department of withholding documents.
Today, Republican Tim Burchett thanked Trump for “keeping his word” on transparency, but noted that “it will take some time” before all the documents are released.
Trump had previously released documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., but they did not reveal any facts beyond what was already known.
Video from Greece
The published files also include videos from Greece.
Watch videos from October 2023:
The 24-second video below was recorded on October 1, 2023 in Greece.
A small and circular UAP flying near the surface of the sea towards land is described. CENTCOM cannot say exactly what it is.
Like the previous one, another video was recorded on October 1, 2023.
According to the accompanying report, the object was flying near the surface of the sea and making multiple 90-degree turns at a speed of about 80 miles per hour.
Watch videos from January 2024:
The 1 minute and 6 second video was recorded on January 1, 2024 in Greece.
The object had a “diamond shape” and was moving at a speed of about 434 knots
Documents with references
Among the files that have seen the light of day is a document that is a Mission Report (MISREP), i.e. a standardized report form used by the US military to record the conditions surrounding its operations. The US military often uses such reports to inform the Multi-Area Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) of Unacknowledged Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
According to the report, a US military platform operator said he observed a UAP “flying just above the surface of the sea”. The object was making “multiple 90-degree turns at an estimated speed of 80 miles per hour.”
The document entitled “DOW-UAP-D33, Mission Report, Greece, October 2023” concerns an incident that occurred on October 27, 2023 in the Aegean Sea.
According to another report on October 29, 2023, a US military platform operator stated that he observed a UAP “flying just above the surface of the sea”.
The object is described as moving “straight over the ocean toward land.”
According to another report on 25 January 2024, a US military platform operator said he spotted a UAP, estimating its speed at “about 434 knots (499 miles per hour)”.
The observer described the object as diamond-shaped, with a non-winding protrusion at the bottom. He also pointed out that the UAP was only visible through a short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensor on the platform. According to the report, the incident lasted about two minutes.
Trump’s post
In a post on the social network Truth Social, the US president, Donald Trump, proceeded.
“Regarding my promise to you, the War Department has released the first batch of UFO/UAP files for the public to review and study. In an effort for full and maximum transparency, I have been honored to direct my Government to locate and provide government records related to Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects. While previous Governments have failed to show transparency on this matter, with these new documents and videos, the people can decide for themselves: “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?”. Have fun and enjoy! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
