Pentagon Releases Over 400 UFO Incidents

(MENAFN) The Pentagon on Friday pulled back the curtain on a trove of previously classified materials related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — more commonly known as UFOs — making the files publicly accessible for the first time in the agency's history.

The declassified records are now housed on a dedicated government portal at war.gov/UFO, with the U.S. Department of Defense confirming that further materials will be released on a rolling basis.

A total of 161 files are currently available on the site, spanning photos, videos, official government documents, and firsthand eyewitness accounts. Collectively, the records detail more than 400 UAP-related incidents reported across the globe, covering a timeline stretching from the 1940s through to recent years.

The archive was assembled by a constellation of U.S. agencies, including the State Department, the Defense Department, NASA, the FBI, and U.S. diplomatic missions stationed overseas.

"The American people can now access the federal government's declassified UAP files instantly. 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 Defense Department said in the release.

The department clarified that the archived materials center on "unresolved cases" — incidents for which the government has been unable to reach a definitive conclusion about the nature of the observed phenomena, often due to insufficient data. It further noted that while all materials had undergone security review, many had not yet been subjected to full analysis.

The public "can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files," the department said.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman pledged that the agency would continue grounding its approach to such phenomena in rigorous scientific inquiry and data-driven analysis.

"We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered," Isaacman said.

Among the most striking inclusions are records tied to the Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 17 lunar missions. Astronauts aboard Apollo 17 reported observing "very bright particles or fragments" drifting and tumbling in proximity to their spacecraft — speculating the phenomenon could be attributed to ice or paint fragments breaking away from a separated component, though they acknowledged that assessment was a "wild guess."

The sweeping disclosure follows a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump ordering the identification and declassification of government files pertaining to UAP. In recent years, Congress has held multiple hearings on the subject, while military footage, pilot testimony, and revelations from former intelligence officials have kept public interest at a fever pitch.

Media reported that the released files contain no indication that the U.S. government has ever made contact with extraterrestrial beings, nor any suggestion that such beings have visited Earth.

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