UFO Files Released by the Department of the Army
Just two days after President Trump remarked that “some of it will be of great interest to people,” the Department of the Army released over 160 files concerning UFO sightings that date back nearly 80 years.
This release, comprising 162 files, follows a February executive order aimed at increasing transparency about “aliens, extraterrestrials, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”
Before Trump’s directive, the Pentagon had already been engaged in a lengthy process to declassify and release its UFO-related documents, which the federal government often identifies as unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAPs).
Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist and former intelligence officer who led the Army Department’s All Area Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) until 2023, shared that he’s reviewed government records and hasn’t come across anything particularly groundbreaking.
“People shouldn’t expect documents with photographs of alien interviews to surface because that just doesn’t exist,” he told The Associated Press this week. “It’s simply not there.”
Kirkpatrick further noted that videos claiming to showcase alien technology often have simple explanations. The U.S. military uses modern infrared cameras that capture jet engines and other warm objects, resulting in viral videos of fast, pill-shaped objects.
This didn’t seem to dissuade some Republican officials. For instance, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) claimed on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he had seen proof of “extradimensional beings” and criticized the Pentagon for lacking transparency on the matter.
Vice President J.D. Vance also expressed a keen interest in UFO files. In March, he mentioned his attempts to investigate Area 51 since entering office and mused that what are generally known as alien sightings might actually be glimpses of the devil.
“I’ve got three more years as vice president,” Vance told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. “We’ll get to the bottom of the UFO files.”
The AARO’s preliminary report for 2024 uncovered hundreds of new UAP incidents but found no evidence of confirmed sightings of alien technology by the U.S. government. Another report detailing more recent sightings is expected to be released shortly.
Trump’s order to unveil UFO files follows his earlier mandate for the release of records regarding the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. during the first week of his second term in January 2025. However, those disclosures yielded little that wasn’t already known about the significant events of the turbulent 1960s.
