US Government Publishes Secret UFO Records and Videos in Unprecedented Disclosure

In a move of ‘unprecedented level of transparency,’ the Trump-led American administration has unsealed hitherto confidential government documents pertaining to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAP, which are commonly referred to as UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, released more than 160 files on Friday 8th May 2026, in a move that is described as an effort to increase transparency around official government knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomena. 

The ‘never-seen-before’ files are now live on the official website of the US Department of War. The files— that contain images, videos, and original source documents— need no official security permit and can be accessed by anyone.

In February 2026, US president Donald Trump issued a presidential order directing government agencies to commence identifying and releasing records related to "alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)". Earlier, Trump had teased the release, saying: "I think some of it's going to be very interesting to people."

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This marks the first time that an US administration has undertaken this much scale of official disclosure about UAPs. 

Why do UAPs and UFOs matter?

UAP, that is Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, is a broader science term than UFO, and covers other signs of extraterrestrial lives such as unusual instances happening across sea, space, or land. 

Having been the subject of popular science fiction movies like Arrival (2016) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), UFOs have long been a subject of public interest and notice. However, the existence of these objects, that are believed to have originated from alien life, is shrouded in much speculation. For years, in addition to civilian sightings and online speculations, the government has tracked these sightings. Now ordinary people have access to these official photographs and documents. 

As per Fox News, this disclosure is an initiative under the government project PURSUE— Presidential Unsealing of Reporting System for UAP Encounters Programme—  a joint venture of the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Energy, Nasa, the FBI, and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, known as AARO.

Inside the ‘UFO files’

The Department of War is releasing the UAP files, which have taken on the moniker of ‘UFO Files’ online, on a rolling basis. One such file is official photographs from the Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 moon missions. One image taken from the lunar surface showcases a cluster of three tiny dots in the sky. A transcript of the conversation that took place between Apollo 17 operators and mission control is also included, wherein they are discussing identified objects that were reported during the mission. 

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In another instance, a state department cable from the US embassy in Tajikistan dating back to 1994 details how American and tajik pilots witnessed a brightly lit UAP while flying a jet over Tajikistan. The cable details how the object was ‘corkscrewing across the sky,’ ‘making 90 degree turns,’ and ‘maneuvering in circles at great rates of speed.’

The US government has asked for the public’s discretion in this matter, stating that ‘many materials have not yet been fully analyzed for scientific resolution of the anomalies they contain.’ In short, there is no official conclusion of the files as of yet. 

Sean Kirkpatrick, former head of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, made it clear that the documents contain no evidence of alien contact. “Readers should not get their hopes up that there’s going to be some document with photos, interviewing the aliens when they come down,” he told Associated Press. “Because that just doesn’t exist.” 

The Pentagon's 2024 report had also stated that there is no evidence the US government ever recovered alien technology or confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life.

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