The United States Department of Defense on Friday released what it describes as "never-before-seen files" on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), following a directive from President Donald Trump issued earlier this year. According to Antigua News Room, the batch of documents outlines decades worth of investigations into reported UFO sightings.
"The American people can now access the federal government's declassified UAP files instantly," the Pentagon wrote on X. "The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place — no clearance required."
The Defense Department stated it will continue "releasing new materials on a rolling basis as they are discovered and declassified, with tranches posted every few weeks."
Some of the materials had been previously released by the FBI, but the versions published Friday contained fewer redactions. Among them was a large FBI file running hundreds of pages, describing "eyewitness testimonies and public reports" about UFOs recorded between 1947 and 1968.
Other newly released files document far more recent incidents. These include internal military memos describing "one possible small UAP" observed in Iraq in 2022, and "multiple glares or light from an unknown origin" reported in Syria in 2024. US troops were stationed in both countries at the time as part of ongoing operations against ISIS. Additional recent reports came from US personnel in the United Arab Emirates and Greece.
The Pentagon website hosting the documents carries a disclaimer noting that "descriptive and estimative language" in the military memos reflects the "subjective interpretation" of the individual report author and "should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication" of what actually occurred.
The files also reach back to the early days of the US space programme. During the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 — the second crewed moon landing — astronaut Alan L. Bean reported to mission control seeing "flashes of light" moving through space.
"It looks like some of those things are escaping the Moon," Bean said. "They really haul out of here and just press off at the stars."
Three years later, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, two astronauts reported seeing "very bright" particles of light. "It's like the Fourth of July out there!" exclaimed Lunar Module Pilot Harrison "Jack" Schmitt. The astronauts theorised the lights may have originated from chunks of ice.
Public interest in extraterrestrials had already been reignited in February when former President Barack Obama said in a podcast that aliens are "real but I haven't seen them." He later clarified the remark, stating, "I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us."
Shortly after, Trump posted on Truth Social directing the Pentagon and other relevant agencies to "begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the release on Friday, applauding Trump for the "effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena." Isaacman added, "We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA's mission as we endeavour to unlock the secrets of the universe."
Trump, commenting on Truth Social, said the documents allow people to "decide for themselves, 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'" adding, "Have Fun and Enjoy!"
