Pentagon releases first batch of declassified UFO files: Here's what's inside

United States (U.S.) Department of War has released the first batch of declassified Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).

The DoW announced the release via a post on X on Friday, May 8. The original files can be accessed at war.gov/UFO and the documents will be released on a rolling basis.

UFO enthusiasts can now access all the photos, videos and related documents easily without the need for clearance.

The department said that the public wanted more transparency regarding this matter and the “Trump administration is delivering it.”

Release 01 include 162 newly declassified files described as unresolved cases where the government lacked sufficient data to identify the phenomena.

What’s inside the declassified UAP files:

The portal does feature a slideshow of previously released images. Among them are:

• Several infrared photographs of unidentified objects captured over the western United States in September and December of 2025,
• A still from a video featuring UAP flying across a military operator's screen in the Middle East in May 2022,

• Footage captured near the United Arab Emirates in October 2023, imagery from near Greece the same month,
• A sighting reported by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command near Japan in 2024 of a football-shaped object,
• An archival image from the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon showing three unexplained lights above the lunar terrain.

All cases on the portal are described as "unresolved," meaning the government has been unable to determine the nature of what was observed.

The Department of War said this is often due to a lack of sufficient data and said it welcomes analysis from the private sector.

Speaking about the release, Secretary Hegseth said, “The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.”

He added, “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”

Soon after the release, massive issues were highlighted by netizens with many reporting that the website crashed due to heavy traffic. 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jared Isaacman said, "I applaud President Trump’s whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena." 

He continued, "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." 

Isaacman concluded, saying, exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA’s mission as the agency endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also praised President Trump for bringing transparency. Quote the DoW on X, She wrote, "The American people have long sought transparency about the government’s knowledge of unidentified aerial phenomena." 

"Under President Trump’s leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts with the Department of War to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review of our holdings to provide the American people with maximum transparency," Gabbard added.

She added today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.