War Department Releases Initial Set of Declassified UFO Documents

Army Releases Declassified Files on UAPs

Following years of public and Congressional pressure, the Department of the Army shared the first batch of 161 declassified files concerning unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs, on Friday. This action comes under the directive of President Donald Trump.

These documents span six decades of research, including photographs, videos, eyewitness testimonies, and official speculation related to unusual sightings. Each incident remains marked as “unresolved,” indicating there’s still no clear explanation attached to them.

Army Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked, “The Department of the Army is collaborating with President Trump to bring a level of transparency regarding our understanding of unidentified anomalous phenomena that is unprecedented. These previously classified files have long been a source of legitimate speculation, but now it’s essential for the American public to see them for themselves. This release illustrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to transparency.”

Astonishingly, one of the notable images was taken from the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission back in 1972. It reveals three unidentified lights along the moon’s horizon, yet the government admits there is “no consensus on the nature of the anomaly.”

Another striking piece is a video captured using an infrared camera, labeled “DOW-UAP-PR38, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2013.” It appears to show a light darting through the air at incredible speeds, twisting and turning with remarkable precision. However, some skeptics regard this as merely a sensor artifact, not accounting for the object’s motion.

Several other videos included in the release resemble those seen previously, featuring a light sphere moving around lacking any visible propulsion methods.

Each file is tagged according to its source agency: DOW, FBI, NASA, and the State Department. The mention of the latter encompasses diplomatic communications with U.S. embassies in countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Mexico.

In 2022, Congress established the All Area Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) within the Department of Defense, aimed at collecting and publishing this kind of information and documentation. AARO played a significant role in getting these files ready for release.

Since its founding, there has been some dissatisfaction among Congressional members concerning the bureau’s previous directors, who have been accused of overclassifying footage and data. Lawmakers such as Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett have been advocates for declassification from the outset.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the former AARO Director, oversaw the report’s publication, expressing in 2024 that “no U.S. government UAP sightings” had been confirmed by surveys or official studies, which sparked outrage among Congress members who had received classified briefings that seemingly contradicted his statements.

As the Army continues to release more files, the public will have the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about the various sightings reported in the sky.