The Pentagon on Friday began the first release of a new batch of government files on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), complying with a presidential directive to make records on unexplained sightings public. The material was posted on a newly created Pentagon site and includes documents from the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA and the State Department.
What was released
The initial tranche contains 162 files in total: roughly 120 PDFs, 28 videos and 14 standalone image files (with additional photos embedded in PDFs). The records range from eyewitness accounts and incident reports to photographs and video clips documenting sightings and encounters spanning decades and multiple countries.
Officials framed the release as a move toward transparency. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the previously classified files had long fueled speculation and that it was time the public could see them. The White House said the disclosure was meant to provide “complete and maximum transparency.”
Notable photos and footage
Among the images are six archival NASA photos taken during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 lunar missions. One Apollo 17 photo from December 1972 is described by the Pentagon as showing three small “dots” in a triangular formation in the lunar sky; while that image has circulated before, the military and NASA are conducting a fresh review of original film to try to clarify what is depicted. The Pentagon’s preliminary caption notes there is no consensus about the anomaly and that it could be the result of a physical object in the scene.
The videos in the release total roughly 41 minutes. Many are infrared clips that show small, bright objects or specks monitored by aircraft sensors. Examples highlighted by the Pentagon include a 2023 video from Greece in which an object is reported to make multiple 90-degree turns while moving at an estimated 80 mph, footage from the Indo-Pacific showing an object described as resembling a football, and a Syria clip showing two brief, semi‑transparent orange shapes.
The FBI provided a photograph overlaid with a sketch from an eyewitness report that describes an “ellipsoid bronze metallic object” appearing out of a bright light, measured in the report at roughly 130–195 feet in length and said to disappear instantaneously.
Historic and recent case files
The release includes an FBI case file covering reported sightings from 1947 through 1968 (case number 62-HQ-83894). Those 18 documents compile high‑profile incident accounts, photographs (including material from sites such as Oak Ridge, Tennessee) and discussions of technical proposals. Portions of this case file had been made public previously; Friday’s release contains fewer redactions and some newly declassified pages.
The papers also document well-known incidents such as Roswell. One memo in the FBI file quotes an Air Force major reporting that an object “purporting to be a flying disc” was recovered near Roswell and described as hexagonal, suspended from a balloon by cable.
Contemporary reports include military and law-enforcement sightings across the Middle East, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf and elsewhere. One naval pilot described a “triangular and metallic” UAP observed at about 25,000 feet over the Mediterranean. A Pentagon-compiled report summarized multiple federal law-enforcement teams’ encounters in the western United States in 2023, describing orbs and other figures in the sky. In one entry agents compared an orb to the “Eye of Sauron” from Lord of the Rings or an orange bowling ball; other entries describe orange “mother” orbs that appeared to release smaller red orbs.
Diplomatic cables and international reports
State Department cables from embassies and consulates in countries including Papua New Guinea, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Mexico are part of the batch, with dates ranging from the mid-1980s through late 2025. A 1994 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan relays accounts from a commercial air crew who reported a very bright object at 41,000 feet that maneuvered with rapid turns, corkscrews and apparent high-G maneuvers; the pilot and crew told the diplomat they believed the object was “extraterrestrial and under intelligent control.” The embassy reported the observations without endorsing an explanation.
Classification and redactions
Of the 162 files released, 108 contain redactions. The Pentagon said sensitive details were withheld to protect eyewitness identities, the locations of government facilities and potentially sensitive information about military sites unrelated to UAPs. The department also emphasized that no redactions were made to conceal information about the nature or existence of reported encounters.
Status and next steps
The Pentagon characterized the released materials as “unresolved cases,” meaning the government has not reached a definitive determination about the phenomena described. Officials encouraged outside analysis from researchers and the private sector.
The Pentagon’s new UFO/UAP site says additional documents will be posted on a rolling basis “as they are discovered and declassified,” with further tranches expected every few weeks.
Context
In February, the president ordered Pentagon and other agency leaders to search for and begin releasing files on UAPs and any material related to alien or extraterrestrial life. The Pentagon created the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2023 to collect and analyze UAP reports. A 2024 Defense Department report concluded that, despite numerous investigations, there was no confirmed evidence establishing extraterrestrial origin for the phenomena studied to date. The new public releases are intended to broaden scrutiny and permit independent review of government records.