War Department Drops First ‘Tranche’ of Declassified UFO Documents

After years of pressure from the public and Congress, the Department of War (DOW) on Friday released the first “tranche” of 161 declassified files related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) — also referred to as UFOs — as directed by President Donald Trump. 

The contents of these declassified files span 60 years of research, documentation, photos, videos, eyewitness testimony, and speculation by Government officials tasked with investigating mysterious sightings. The DOW indicated each of the cases remains “unresolved” with no firm explanation.

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United States 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 fueled 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.” 

One of the more shocking photographs comes not from an earthly sighting, but from the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The photo shows an unidentified trio of lights above the lunar horizon that the government says “there is no consensus about the nature of the anomaly.” (RELATED: Artemis Crew Returns To Earth After Successful Mission)

Archival imagery from the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon. The yellow box contains an enlarged area of the original photo in which three lights are visible above the lunar terrain.

Another spectacular video captured through an infrared camera designated ‘DOW-UAP-PR38, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2013’ shows what appears to be a compass of light dancing through the air at incredible speeds and turning with deft precision. Though some have dismissed this effect as a sensor artifact, the movement of the object has yet to be explained. 

Other videos look similar to previous leaks and official releases, showing orbs of light moving without any visible means of propulsion, around known aircraft, navy vessels, and wind farms. 

Each file is tagged to its originating agency, DOW, FBI, NASA, and the Department of State – the former 3 agencies are often named in Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) mythology. The Department of State releases include diplomatic cables to or from the U.S. Embassies in foreign countries such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Mexico. 

In 2022, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) was established by an act of Congress to collect, compile and eventually release information, videos, and documents such as these, and the new DOW website indicates that AARO played a large role in preparing these files for release. 

Since its inception, some Members of Congress have expressed their displeasure with the actions of this office and its former Directors as they moved to continue with the history of over-classification of footage and data, and leveraged attacks on Members of Congress like Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett — who has championed the declassification effort from the beginning. (RELATED: GOP Rep Tells Reporter Lindsey Graham’s Latest War Advice Should Be Taken ‘With A Grain Of Salt’)

Former AARO Director Sean Kirkpatrick oversaw a report published in 2024 that claimed “that any USG [U.S. government] investigation, academic-sponsored research, or official review panel has confirmed that any sighting of a UAP [unidentified aerial phenomenon] represented extraterrestrial technology,” enraging members of Congress who had received classified briefings from DOW officials and outside whistleblowers that they say directly conflicted with Kirkpatrick’s statements. 

As more tranches of files are released, the public will be able to decide for themselves what it is that so many people are seeing in the skies. 

The Pentagon declined to comment on this story.

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