Topline
The Pentagon began releasing files and images depicting what it says are “unidentified anomalous phenomena” on Friday, months after President Donald Trump’s directive to make UFO documents public, though it said the files depict “unresolved” cases and the public can “make up their own minds” about what is included.
Key Facts
The files, released on the Department of Defense’s website, contain images and documents it says were previously classified about “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” some of which are decades old.
The Department of Defense announced the UFO files release in a statement on X, saying the documents were released in the “interest of total transparency” while criticizing previous presidential administrations for allegedly seeking to “discredit or dissuade the American people” about UFOs.
Trump previously said in February he would direct the Defense Department to identify and release files relating to UFOs, citing “tremendous interest” from the public.
But findings from the files appear to be unclear, as the Defense Department’s UFO website says the government is “unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena,” urging the public to draw their own conclusions about the content of the files.
The agency said all the documents have been “reviewed for security purposes,” but “many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies,” saying it welcomes private-sector analysis and expertise.
The Defense Department said there are “tens of millions of records” spanning “many decades” it must sift through, saying additional documents will be released in the coming weeks on a rolling basis.
