A series of previously top-secret files relating to sightings of unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, sightings has been released to the public by the Pentagon for the first time.
The documents, shared on the Department of War’s website, concern unresolved cases about which the US government has been unable to make a “definitive determination”.
One such case describes an ellipsoid bronze metallic object “materialising out of a bright light in the sky” 130 to 195ft in the air, before disappearing instantly in September 2023.
Another contains archival images from the 1972 Apollo 17 mission to the Moon, which show three lights visible above the lunar terrain.
President Donald Trump decided to provide “maximum transparency to the public” so that they can “ultimately make up their own minds” about the information, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“No other president or administration in history has followed through on this level of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) transparency,” it read.
Additional files will be released on a rolling basis as they are discovered and declassified.
“This is an unprecedented, historic undertaking that requires coordination between dozens of agencies and the review of tens of millions of records, many existing only on paper, spanning many decades,” the Pentagon said.
As well as images, the site includes PDF documents of investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning UFOs and “flying discs” dating back to the 1940s.
Incidents shared on the site have been logged from multiple countries, including the US, Syria, Iraq, Germany and the Netherlands – and even the Strait of Hormuz.
The US is currently locked in a battle with Iran over the essential oil waterway, which has been essentially closed since Trump declared war on the country on February 28.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was aligned with Trump in wanting to bring the public “unprecedented transparency” regarding the government’s understanding of UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fuelled justified speculation – and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” Hegseth said.
“This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”
All of the files have been reviewed for security purposes, the Department of War said.
“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,” said Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered.”
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