What Just Happened: The Historic May 8 Release
On Friday, May 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of War — the Department of Defense, which has used that second name since a September 2025 executive order — did something no administration had done before: it published a mass batch of declassified government records on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), all in one publicly accessible place, with no security clearance required.
The files went live at war.gov/ufo as the first tranche of what the government is calling PURSUE — the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. The release was the culmination of a February 2026 directive by President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social that he would order the declassification of "government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."
"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."
— Department of War Press Release, May 8, 2026The release involves a coordination effort between at least seven agencies: the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), NASA, the FBI, and additional intelligence community components.
This is explicitly described as a rolling release. More tranches are expected every few weeks as records are discovered, reviewed, and declassified from what the DOW calls "tens of millions of records, many existing only on paper, spanning many decades."
By the Numbers: What's in the Files
The first batch, released on May 8, 2026. Here's the full breakdown:
File type breakdown
By originating agency
AARO Release Table — May 8, 2026
The complete AARO release table for the May 8, 2026 tranche, by record category. Every category links to the originals at war.gov/ufo:
| Record category | Files | What's inside |
|---|---|---|
| Pentagon / DOW military records | 82 | Infrared sensor footage and incident reports from the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Indo-Pacific and US airspace |
| FBI files | 56 | Witness interviews and civilian reports, including the 2023 "orbs launching orbs" incident |
| NASA / Apollo records | 12 | Apollo 11, 12 and 17 astronaut testimonies plus the Gemini 7 "bogey" transcript |
| State Department cables | 8 | Diplomatic cables on worldwide UAP sightings and foreign-government inquiries |
| Unknown origin | 4 | Records with redacted or unattributed provenance |
| Total (May 8 tranche) | 162 | 120 PDFs · 28 videos · 14 images |
The files are classified as unresolved cases — meaning the government cannot make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena. The DOW explicitly states this is due to a "lack of sufficient data," not confirmed anomalous origin. All files have been cleared for security purposes, but many have not yet been analyzed for anomaly resolution.
The Apollo Incidents: Astronaut Testimonies Finally Declassified
Among the most striking documents are records from three Apollo moon missions. While NASA's involvement accounts for only 12 of the 162 files, their contents are among the most historically significant — reports from astronauts describing unexplained phenomena during missions to the Moon.
In a 1969 post-flight debriefing, astronaut Buzz Aldrin described seeing "little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart" while trying to sleep during the mission. In a separate account, Aldrin reported observing "what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser." No definitive explanation was offered in the newly released files.
During the second Moon landing mission, astronaut Alan Bean reported "flashes of light" that he described as "sailing off into space." The precise nature of these observations remains unclassified, with no official explanation assigned.
During the final Apollo lunar mission, the crew reported seeing "very bright particles" of light that were "tumbling" and "rotating way out in the distance." Astronaut Harrison Schmitt described the phenomenon as looking "like the Fourth of July." The newly released photo from that mission contains three lights in a triangular formation in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky — clearly visible when magnified.
The files include a transcript from Gemini 7 in which astronaut Frank Borman reported a "bogey at 10 o'clock high" approximately 4.5 hours into the mission. Ground control responded: "This is Houston, say again Seven?" Borman then described the object as "hundreds of little particles going by to the left out about three or four miles." No conclusion is drawn in the declassified record.
Military Incidents: Infrared Footage & Combat-Zone Sightings
The bulk of the declassified material — 82 files from the Pentagon — consists of modern military incident reports filed by U.S. service members encountering unidentified objects during active operations across several theaters. These are not Cold War curiosities; many of these incidents occurred between 2013 and 2026.
Key military incident locations documented
| Location | Period | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌍 Iraq / Syria | 2013–2025 | Multiple operator-reported sightings during active missions; some featuring objects flying in formation | unresolved |
| 🛢 Persian Gulf / Strait of Hormuz | 2020–2024 | Naval encounters; objects tracked via infrared crossing maritime zones at speed | unresolved |
| 🏛 Greece | Oct 2023 | U.S. military operator reported UAP flying straight above the ocean towards land; scope imagery released | unresolved |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | Oct 2023 | Video footage near UAE — object exhibiting non-standard flight characteristics | unresolved |
| 🌊 Gulf of Aden | 2022–2024 | Infrared sensor data from naval platforms; objects crossing shipping lanes | unresolved |
| 🌍 Africa | 2025 | U.S. military operator reported UAP while operating within African airspace | unresolved |
| 🏔 INDOPACOM / Near Japan | 2024 | Football-shaped body UAP tracked by Indo-Pacific Command; 1 min 39 sec infrared video released | unresolved |
| 🇺🇸 Southern United States | 2020 | U.S. Air Force reported UAP in southern US; included in initial tranche | unresolved |
| 🇺🇸 North America | 2026 | U.S. Army reported UAP — one of the most recent incidents in the release | unresolved |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Sep 5, 1948 | Military crew at 30,000 ft reported unidentified aircraft with sudden accelerations and climb | resolved |
The 1948 Netherlands sighting is one of the few incidents in the release that was subsequently explained. Intelligence officials concluded within months that the object was a "single propelled jet using rocket assists with tremendous reserve power."
FBI Files & Civilian Reports: Orbs, Drone Sightings & Witness Testimonies
The FBI contributed 56 of the 162 files — the second-largest batch after the Pentagon. These documents cover a broader range of sources: civilian witness interviews, drone operator reports, and accounts submitted to the government dating back to the 1940s.
One of the most detailed civilian accounts involves an FBI FaceTime interview with a drone operator who, along with colleagues, witnessed a "bright light over the horizon" at a classified U.S. test site. The witness described the object as follows:
"A linear object with a super bright light on the east side of the object. The light was bright white and bright enough to see bands within the light. The object was metallic/gray in color. It did not have any wings or exhaust. The object was smaller than a 737, one to two Blackhawk helicopters in length and was definitely bigger than a drone."
— Redacted witness statement, FBI UAP interview, September 2023The witnesses reported the object was approximately 5,000 feet above ground, then moved east to west before vanishing after 5 to 10 seconds. "After that the sky was clear and the object could not be found again." The location of the test site has been redacted to protect sensitive military information.
One of the more dramatic accounts in the FBI files involves a two-day incident in the western United States in 2023, in which multiple federal law enforcement officers independently reported strange incidents involving spherical objects. One witness described seeing "orbs launching other orbs" — a behavior that has no obvious conventional explanation in the filing. The specific location and agency involved are redacted.
The Department of War has stated that redactions have been made specifically to protect eyewitness identities, locations of government facilities, and potentially sensitive information about military sites unrelated to UAP. The goal is to release as much substantive content as possible without compromising ongoing security operations.
State Department Cables: Worldwide UAP Diplomacy
Eight files in the release come from the U.S. State Department — diplomatic cables sent from embassies and consulates around the world to Washington, D.C., documenting UAP incidents reported in their host countries. This is significant because it suggests UAP monitoring was not limited to military or intelligence channels; it was part of routine diplomatic reporting.
State Department cables document incidents from:
The Mediterranean is also well-represented. According to reports, one pilot described observing a "triangular and metallic UAP" flying at 25,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea. No country is specified in connection with the pilot's nationality, and the aircraft or military branch involved is not identified in the released portion of the document.
What Officials Said: Statements from Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel & Isaacman
The release was accompanied by official statements from the heads of the four primary participating agencies:
"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it's time the American people see it for themselves."
— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War"The American people have long sought transparency about the government's knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena. Under President Trump's leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community's declassification efforts... to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review."
— Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence"For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon — a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered."
— Kash Patel, FBI Director"At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered."
— Jared Isaacman, NASA AdministratorAnalysis: What the Files Actually Tell Us
It's worth being clear about what the PURSUE release does not contain. The Department of War itself classifies every released record as an unresolved case — meaning the government cannot make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena. The DOW attributes this specifically to "a lack of sufficient data," not to a confirmed anomalous or extraterrestrial origin. No recovered craft, no non-human biological material, and no evidence of extraterrestrial contact appears anywhere in the 162 released files.
What they do show is something the DOW acknowledges explicitly: a pattern of encounters that the U.S. military and intelligence community has been systematically unable to explain, spanning eight decades and every major theater of military operation.
The U.S. government has been formally documenting UAP encounters since at least the 1940s, across at least seven agencies. A significant portion of these encounters remain genuinely unresolved — not due to cover-up, but due to insufficient sensor data. The government is now actively soliciting private-sector analysis of these files to assist in anomaly resolution.
The War Department explicitly invited public participation, stating: "The Department of War welcomes the application of private-sector analysis, information and expertise." This is an unusual posture for a military intelligence release, and suggests the government genuinely lacks answers — rather than sitting on them.
The DOW has been explicit that the release provides raw material without official interpretation. There is no government narrative attached to what any of these incidents mean. The Department of War instead states that it "welcomes the application of private-sector analysis, information and expertise" — placing the interpretive work squarely in the public domain by design.
Timeline: The Road to PURSUE
Later PURSUE Releases: What's Come Out Since May 8
The May 8 release was only the first tranche. As promised, the Department of War has continued to publish UAP records on a rolling basis at war.gov/ufo. Here's what has been added since this article first went up.
Files per release
Counts per the Department of War press releases and CBS News. Release 2 centred on 40+ lawmaker-requested videos plus documents and audio; its full count was reported inconsistently.
Release 2 — May 22, 2026
In a statement from Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, the DOW published its second PURSUE tranche on May 22, 2026. It centred on more than 40 videos specifically requested by lawmakers, along with additional documents and audio from NASA missions. Officials said work on a third release was already underway.
Release 3 — June 12, 2026
The third release, on June 12, 2026, added 53 documents, 10 images, 6 videos and 3 audio recordings drawn from the CIA, FBI, NASA and the Pentagon. The DOW said it was "actively working on the next release."
Release 4 — July 10, 2026
The fourth tranche landed on July 10, 2026, announced as before by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. It added 40 files — 14 documents, 19 videos, 4 audio recordings and 3 images — contributed by the Pentagon, NASA, the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Energy. That last name matters: DOE was listed as a PURSUE participant from the start but had contributed nothing in Round 1, which this article flagged as something to watch. It is no longer a blank.
- ▸Pantex, Texas (September 2015) — security officers at the nuclear weapons plant pursued an object that made no sound and showed no visible means of propulsion before departing to the north. Nuclear sites recur throughout the PURSUE material, and this is one of the more concrete examples.
- ▸Atlantic Ocean (2020) — a Navy crew described a "darker, maroonish" object roughly 12 to 15 feet tall that "appeared as a large, somewhat deformed balloon" — a reminder that plenty of these records read as prosaic once written down.
- ▸Eastern United States (2019) — a military aviator reported a rectangular object with "flight characteristics unlike anything I had seen in my 28 years of performing for the Air Force and Navy."
- ▸Indo-Pacific (2025) — sensor tracks over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, including what the file describes as an area of contrast resembling a six-pointed star.
- ▸Los Alamos (1949) — a conference transcript in which scientists at the nuclear laboratory work through, and fail to explain, the "green fireballs" then being seen over the site. It is the oldest material in this tranche by four decades.
Release 5 — August 7, 2026
The fifth release followed on August 7, 2026 with 41 files — 22 documents, 16 videos and 3 images (no audio this time), drawn from the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, the State Department and the Executive Office of the President, and spanning 1950 to 2026. It is the most operationally striking batch so far.
- ▸Gulf of Oman (September 2021) — six video clips from an AC-130J gunship documenting roughly 25 separate UAP instances: cold orbs at lower altitude moving between 250 and 1,300 mph, in formation, and — according to the accompanying report — reacting to the aircraft firing its main cannon. Whatever the objects were, that detail is the single most consequential line in five tranches.
- ▸Middle East (January 2025) — aircraft footage of an orb-shaped object crossing a populated residential area. Unresolved.
- ▸Colorado Springs (October 2023) — an FBI artist's rendering of a large black triangular craft with red lights at its corners, reported near a U.S. military base. The rendering, rather than footage, is itself telling: the Bureau interviewed the witness and drew what was described.
- ▸Afghanistan (2002) — a former military pilot's account of an equilateral triangle blotting out the stars over Bagram at about 4:30 AM, estimated at 500 feet across, moving silently at roughly 150 knots. His colleague's recorded reaction — "did you see that?" — became the headline quote of the release.
- ▸Utah and Montana (1950–1952) — fresh analysis of two of the oldest and most-argued-over U.S. UAP films, via a 1953 Naval Photographic Interpretation Center memorandum. Seventy-three years later, the Navy's own reading of those frames is finally public.
Release 6 — September 18, 2026
The sixth tranche arrived on Friday, September 18, 2026 with 71 files — 55 PDFs, 15 videos and 1 audio recording — spanning 1952 to 2025. According to CBS News, 67 came from the Defense Department and 4 from local law enforcement in Colorado, and 64 of the 71 carry redactions.
- ▸AAWSAP (2008–2012) — documents from the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, including 37 “Defense Intelligence Reference Documents” on warp drives, wormholes, antigravity and invisibility cloaking. The Pentagon asks readers to treat them as “reference and synthesis products rather than as original research” that “should not be read as implying current validation.”
- ▸A 2010 medical study — 38 pages on injuries such as skin damage and hair loss reported by three people after aerospace-related encounters.
- ▸Project Blue Book, 1952 — an audio recording of Air Force Captain Edward Ruppelt saying that of roughly 800 cases reviewed, about 20% were “very good reports offered by very reliable people” that stayed unexplained.
- ▸Recent footage — Middle East infrared video from 2022 and 2025, and October 2023 footage from Colorado of silent objects with red, blue and green flashing lights.
Six tranches in, PURSUE has published several hundred files from the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, NASA, the State Department, the Department of Energy and the Executive Office of the President, plus a handful of local police records, with the oldest material going back to the 1940s. Outlets quote different running totals because Release 2’s document count was reported inconsistently, so the chart above shows only the per-release counts the Department of War and CBS News published.
The ODNI memo: a legal channel for people who were told to stay quiet
The most consequential development since May is not a video at all. On July 31, 2026 the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued Preliminary Guidance for Implementation of NDA Waiver (memorandum ES 2026-00818), issued under presidential direction. It echoes a channel Congress had already written into law — Section 1673 of the FY 2023 NDAA, codified at 50 U.S.C. § 3373b, which provides for the authorised disclosure of alleged UAP information.
In plain terms, the guidance tells intelligence community elements to inform their workforces that non-disclosure agreements, oaths and similar commitments are no longer enforceable against disclosures of UAP information made to the President, to designated representatives of AARO, or to the PURSUE Task Force — and gives each agency 30 days to name a PURSUE designee. Current and former employees and contractors are covered.
Two caveats keep this from being the whistleblower amnesty some coverage described. The memo authorises disclosure into government channels only — it does not permit public disclosure, and it does not open new congressional channels beyond those that already exist. And it addresses non-disclosure agreements specifically, which is narrower than the statute's broader language about legal restraints. The memo said detailed reporting procedures would follow within 30 days.
Still, for a programme whose central complaint from former insiders has always been "I am not allowed to tell you," a signed memorandum saying the paperwork no longer binds them is a structural change that no amount of released footage matches.
Sources: U.S. Department of War press releases — Release 2, Release 3, Release 4, Release 5 — with file counts and case details as reported by CBS News on the fourth and fifth tranches, the Release 6 press release and CBS News on the sixth tranche, and ODNI memorandum ES 2026-00818 of July 31, 2026. As of October 6, 2026 no seventh release had been announced.
What Comes Next
The PURSUE portal at war.gov/ufo is explicitly designed for ongoing updates. The DOW has committed to releasing additional tranches "every few weeks," pulling from what it describes as "tens of millions of records, many existing only on paper."
The scope of this undertaking is genuinely unprecedented. Previous UAP disclosure efforts — including the establishment of AARO in 2022 and various Congressional hearings — were partial and heavily managed. The PURSUE program represents the first time the government has committed to a systematic, rolling, multi-agency public release without a defined endpoint.
Key things to watch in coming releases:
- ▸Any additional Apollo or early space-era records (NASA had 12 files in Release 1)
- ▸More redacted witness testimonies, particularly around the 2023 western US "orbs" events
- ▸More Department of Energy files — DOE contributed nothing in Release 1 but appeared from Release 4, and nuclear sites recur throughout the material
- ▸Any resolved cases — the DOW says separate reporting on resolved UAP is mandated by statute
- ▸ODNI-contributed intelligence community records, which could be the most classified of all
You can browse all released files directly at war.gov/ufo and the AARO historical record archive at aaro.mil. Both are live, searchable, and updated on a rolling basis. No login or clearance required.