The Pentagon has begun publishing 162 files it describes as “never-before-seen” records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs. The release kicked off on Friday and has already generated renewed public attention and speculation.
The document rollout follows a February 20 order from US President Donald Trump directing greater transparency around alien life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and any related information. The effort is being coordinated through the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), an interagency program involving the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Department of Energy (DOE), NASA, the FBI, and other agencies.
According to the Pentagon, the collection will be hosted at war.gov/ufo, and additional materials will be posted on a rolling basis. Friday’s tranche included intelligence reports and FBI case files containing eyewitness accounts and public reports of alleged sightings, with some records dating back to the 1950s. Transcripts from NASA astronauts that reference possible unidentified objects observed during missions were also among the released items.
There is an important caveat: some documents appear to have been amended or redacted for security reasons. The Pentagon noted that while all files have been reviewed for security, many of the materials have not been analyzed to resolve the anomalies they describe.
Although periodic UAP disclosures have occurred in the past, officials say this initiative is notable for its scale and the coordinated, cross-agency approach behind it. The files are being released incrementally, and further updates are expected as the review and publication process continues.