The US Department of Defense has released a first batch of declassified documents on unidentified flying objects, publishing what it described as “never-before-seen files” following an order earlier this year from President Donald Trump.
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The material outlines decades of investigations into sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) — the term now used by the US government to describe UFOs. Officials said the records include videos, photographs and original documents gathered across multiple federal agencies.
In a statement posted on X, the Pentagon said the public could now access the files without restrictions. “The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly,” the department wrote, adding that the materials bring together evidence from across the US government in a single location.
The Pentagon also said more documents would be released over time. New material will be posted periodically as additional records are discovered and cleared for public release.
Files span decades of reports
Some of the documents had been previously disclosed in part by the FBI, but officials said the newly released versions contain fewer redactions.
One large FBI file, running to hundreds of pages, compiles eyewitness accounts and public reports of UFO sightings recorded between 1947 and 1968. The reports describe a range of unexplained aerial observations documented during the early decades of the Cold War.
Other documents include much more recent military reports. Among them are internal memos describing an encounter with “one possible small UAP” observed in Iraq in 2022.
Another report details “multiple glares or light from an unknown origin” seen in Syria in 2024. US forces were deployed in both Iraq and Syria at the time as part of operations against the militant group Islamic State.
Additional reports come from US personnel stationed in the United Arab Emirates and Greece.
This image, identified as "FBI photo B2" on the Department of Defense website, shows an “infrared still image (black hot) captured of unidentified object over western United States in December of 2025,” per the Defense Department.
Department of Defense
Pentagon urges caution over interpretations
Officials warned that the language used in many of the reports reflects the observations of the individuals who wrote them and should not be treated as definitive explanations.
A disclaimer on the Pentagon website notes that the “descriptive and estimative language” contained in the files represents the “subjective interpretation” of the reporting personnel. It adds that the wording should not be seen as conclusive evidence of what the events actually involved.
Historical sightings included
The documents also contain historical accounts from space missions.
During the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 — the second crewed landing on the Moon — astronaut Alan L. Bean reported seeing flashes of light moving through space. In communications with mission control, Bean described lights appearing to move rapidly away from the Moon.
Three years later, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, astronauts again reported observing bright particles of light outside their spacecraft. Lunar Module Pilot Harrison “Jack” Schmitt likened the display to fireworks.
The astronauts later suggested the lights may have been caused by small particles of ice.
Renewed debate over extraterrestrial life
Interest in extraterrestrial life has grown in recent months after former US president Barack Obama said during a podcast that aliens are “real but I haven’t seen them.” Obama later clarified that he had not seen evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials had made contact with Earth.
Shortly afterwards, Trump instructed the Pentagon and other agencies to begin identifying and releasing government records related to alien life, UFOs and UAP.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed the initiative, saying greater transparency could help expand public understanding of unexplained phenomena.
“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 wrote on X.
Trump said the newly released files would allow people to draw their own conclusions.
“Decide for yourselves what the hell is going on,” he wrote on Truth Social.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 9 May 2026
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