The Department of Defense on Friday posted a large trove of files chronicling unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), the military term for what the public often calls UFOs. More than 160 records were released to a new public portal, war.gov/info, with officials saying additional documents will be added on a rolling basis.
The release follows a directive that sought greater transparency around unexplained encounters. President Trump posted on Truth Social that, with the documents public, ‘the people can decide for themselves, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? Have Fun and Enjoy!’ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the files ‘hidden behind classifications’ have long fed speculation and that Americans should now be allowed to see them. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the action as ‘the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.’
The newly posted material spans decades. One image from the Apollo 12 mission (1969) — credited to NASA via the Defense Department — shows astronauts’ shadows on the lunar surface and a highlighted area above the horizon labeled as ‘unidentified phenomena.’ A separate debriefing from the Apollo 11 technical crew in July 1969 attributes three observations to astronaut Buzz Aldrin: an object seen en route to the Moon, flashes of light inside the cabin, and a bright light on the return trip that the crew tentatively treated as a laser.
Some of the oldest documents date back to November 1948. A Top Secret report from the U.S. Air Force Directorate of Intelligence recorded recurring sightings of unidentified objects over Europe and warned that the volume and variety of reports meant the phenomenon could not be ignored. That report says U.S. officers consulted Swedish intelligence, which allegedly concluded the phenomena reflected ‘a high technical skill’ beyond any presently known earthly culture.
Not every file is fully readable; more recent entries contain redactions. One 2023 account describes an experienced U.S. military aircraft and drone operator who reported seeing a metallic, oval-shaped object hovering above a treeline in airspace closed for testing. Investigators included a composite sketch showing an ovaloid metallic object with a bright light at one end. According to the report, multiple witnesses in at least two cars corroborated the sighting, which the woman said she would not have reported if she had seen it alone. The files also note the social stigma some witnesses face — several of her coworkers reportedly made fun of her after she came forward.
The archive includes cases involving high-profile witnesses. A 1955 report recounts a train observation in the former Soviet Union led by then-Senator Richard Russell and others, who described seeing two ‘flying disc’ objects; the U.S. Air Attache called the witnesses ‘excellent sources.’ Some incidents previously appeared in CIA-released documents, though past releases sometimes showed partial redactions.
Beyond eyewitness reports, some folders also contain intelligence artifacts such as technical descriptions and diagrams — for example, drawings of a jet bomber and notes on a railroad switching system encountered during foreign travel. The Pentagon says it will continue to declassify and publish additional records so the public can review these materials for themselves.