WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Friday released an initial batch of more than 160 previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP — the U.S. government’s term for what are commonly known as UFOs — making them available to the public for the first time, the Department of Defense said.
The documents, which include reports, videos, photographs and records dating back to the late 1940s, were posted on a new government website as part of a directive from President Donald Trump for greater transparency on UAP-related materials. The release marks the first tranche in what officials described as an ongoing effort to declassify and disclose unresolved cases.
“The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “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 files were released under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, an interagency initiative supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Officials said the materials contain reports of sightings by military personnel, civilians and astronauts, including images from the Apollo 12 mission showing unidentified phenomena.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the action as part of the administration’s commitment to “unprecedented transparency,” according to statements released with the documents. Additional files are expected to be posted on a rolling basis in coming weeks as more records are reviewed and declassified.
The release follows years of incremental disclosures by the Pentagon on UAP investigations, including earlier reports that found most sightings could be explained by ordinary objects or phenomena, while a small number remained unresolved. Details on whether the new files contain conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial activity were not immediately clear, with many images described as murky or inconclusive.
UFO researchers and skeptics offered differing reactions. Some welcomed the transparency, while others noted that much of the initial batch appeared to include previously known cases without providing definitive new answers, according to media reports.
The documents are accessible at war.gov/UFO, where the public can view hundreds of pages of material without security clearance. The Pentagon emphasized that the effort involves coordination across multiple agencies and review of tens of millions of records spanning decades.
As of Saturday, the website remained active with the first release available for public review. Pentagon officials said further tranches would follow, but did not provide a specific timeline for additional disclosures.
