Top News

Pentagon releases 160+ UFO files
09 May 2026

The Pentagon has released a trove of 162 files related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) sightings over the last 80 years.

The move comes two days after President Donald Trump hinted that some of this information would be "very interesting" to the public.

The release follows a presidential order issued in February, calling for transparency on alien and extraterrestrial life, UAPs, and UFOs.

UFO declassification effort
Declassification efforts

Even before Trump's order, the Pentagon had been working for years to declassify and release government documents on UFOs, or unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP).

Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist and intelligence officer who headed the department's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) until 2023, has seen these records.

He believes they don't contain any major revelations about aliens or alien technology.

No evidence of alien technology sightings
Report findings

The AARO's first report in 2024 documented hundreds of new UAP incidents but did not find any evidence that the US government had confirmed a sighting of alien technology.

A second report covering more recent sightings is expected to be released soon.

Kirkpatrick cautioned against expecting sensational documents or photographs from this release, saying such things simply don't exist.

New UFO website with files 'never before seen'
Website

The US Department of Defense has launched a dedicated website page for the public release of "new, never-before-seen" UFO files.

The site, war.gov/ufo, will host a range of materials related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), including videos, photographs, and original source documents from across the US government.

The initial batch of these documents has been security reviewed, but many have "not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies," according to the Department's statement.

Increased interest in UAPs since 2017
Background

The release of these documents comes after the December 2017 report by The New York Times and Politico about a $22 million classified Pentagon program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).

This program had been investigating military encounters with unknown objects. The public's interest in UAPs, the modern term for UFOs, has increased since then, leading to heightened concerns about what might be in our skies.

UFO file release part of interagency initiative
Initiative

The Pentagon's UFO file release is part of an interagency initiative called the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).

This effort involves several agencies, including the White House, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Energy (DOE), DOD's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and elements from other US intelligence agencies.