UFO Files Released: Pentagon Drops 162 Alien and UAP Documents on war.gov/UFO

The United States government made history on Friday, May 8, 2026, releasing its first major tranche of UFO and alien-related files to the public. The documents — spanning decades — are now live and accessible on the newly launched portal at war.gov/UFO, with no security clearance required.

UFO Files Released Today: What the Pentagon Just Published

The release posted on the new Pentagon UFO website includes 162 files sourced from the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA, and the State Department. The documents contain eyewitness testimony, photos, and reports of sightings of unexplained objects, detailing incidents dating back decades from around the globe.

The Defense Department confirmed it will continue releasing new materials on a rolling basis as they are discovered and declassified, with fresh tranches posted every few weeks.

war.gov/UFO — The New Government Alien Transparency Portal

At the direction of President Donald Trump, the UFO files and photos are being released to the public on a rolling basis at war.gov/ufo. The interagency effort is part of what the government is calling PURSUE — the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters.

The Department of Defense — which under Trump was rebranded as the Department of War — houses the initial set of files on the site. The materials have been reviewed for security purposes, but many have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies.

UFOs, Aliens, and What's Actually in the Declassified Files

The UFO files include internal military memos describing "one possible small UAP" in Iraq in 2022, as well as multiple unexplained lights observed in Syria in 2024. Additional reports from US troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates and Greece are also included in the release.

Files released so far include images from US military reports on UAPs as well as archival imagery from NASA's Apollo 12 and 17 missions showing unidentified objects over the horizon of the lunar surface.

The roughly two dozen videos run for a total of 41 minutes and show reported encounters from around the world between 2020 and 2026. Most show footage from infrared cameras tracking white objects moving through the air.

Aliens and UFOs: What Trump Said About the Release

Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday: "In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that these files were "hidden behind classifications" and that it is time the American people see them for themselves.

UFO Files Redactions — What Is Still Being Hidden

Out of the 162 UFO files, 108 contain redactions. The Pentagon said information was withheld to protect the identity of eyewitnesses, the location of government facilities, and potentially sensitive information about military sites not related to UAP.

The Pentagon confirmed that no redactions were made concerning the nature or existence of any encounter reported as a UAP or related phenomenon, meaning the government claims it is not concealing evidence of alien life within this batch of UFO files.

Aliens, UAPs, and the Agencies Behind PURSUE

The UFO disclosure effort spans nearly every major intelligence and science agency in the US government.

The UFO files were released following a February 2026 announcement by President Trump directing relevant agencies to release records on UAPs, unidentified flying objects, and alien or extraterrestrial life. The documents mark the most sweeping public disclosure of UFO and alien-related government material in US history, with more tranches of files expected in the weeks ahead at war.gov/UFO.