The United States government has begun releasing long-classified documents related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), also known as UFOs, following a directive from President Donald Trump.
Trump, on Truth Social, said he would direct war secretary Pete Hegseth and other agencies to begin releasing government files connected to “alien and extraterrestrial life, UAP, and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).” “Any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters,” Trump said.
Following this, the department of war, along with the office of the director of national intelligence (ODNI) and other agencies, has begun a large-scale effort to locate, review, and declassify UAP-related records. Officials said this work involves millions of records collected over many decades.
What the UFO/UAP files include
The newly released government archive contains photos, videos, and reports of unidentified objects seen by military and government personnel.
Some of these include:
- Infrared images of unidentified objects flying over western United States airspace.
- A mysterious object detected below a helicopter during flight.
- Multiple unknown airborne objects captured by military infrared sensors.
- A possible unusual aerial object observed in southeastern United States (2023 recreation).
- Archival Moon image from Apollo 17 showing three unexplained lights above the lunar surface.
- Military video stills of unidentified objects crossing aircraft sensor screens.
- Footage of a reported UAP near the United Arab Emirates.
- Radar/infrared-style imagery showing objects with unclear shapes against clouds and sky.
- A report of a UAP moving over ocean airspace near Greece.
- A football-shaped object reported by US Indo-Pacific Command near Japan.
- A UAP observed by US military forces in African airspace.
- A US Air Force report of unidentified aerial activity over southern United States (2020).
- A US Army report of UAP observed in North America (2026).
The US government said the files being released are “unresolved cases,” meaning officials could not clearly explain what was observed. This may be due to missing data or incomplete information.
Authorities said the documents will be released in stages over the coming weeks. They also invited outside experts and the public to study the materials.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said, “The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fuelled justified speculation and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”
The department of war said the goal was transparency and truth. Officials said the public will now have access to records that were previously classified.
