, revealing that many reported sightings occurred near active military operations.){kind=link}
The Pentagon has released a new batch of declassified files related to unidentified flying objects, now officially called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), revealing that many reported sightings occurred near active military operations.
The documents, released Friday through a new government website, include “never-before-seen” videos, photos and reports from federal agencies dating back to the late 1940s. The Department of Defense said additional files will be released “on a rolling basis.”
UFO Sightings Linked to Military Activity
According to the newly released records, many sightings were concentrated around military hotspots during the Cold War, including Germany and the former Soviet Union. More recent incidents were reported in the Middle East, particularly near the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. military operates advanced surveillance systems.
Most reports came from military pilots and involved mysterious aerial objects that quickly disappeared without posing an immediate threat. One 2024 incident in Iraq described an unidentified craft moving rapidly across a U.S. aircraft’s surveillance system during a military operation.
Trump Administration Pushes Transparency
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the release “unprecedented transparency,” although some files remain heavily redacted.
President Donald Trump said earlier this year he directed federal agencies to release records connected to UFOs, UAPs and possible extraterrestrial life.
Trump praised the release Friday on social media, saying Americans should be allowed to “decide for themselves” what the sightings mean.
No Evidence of Extraterrestrial Origins
Despite decades of investigations, Pentagon reviews have not found evidence linking any sightings to extraterrestrial activity.
The Defense Department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has spent recent years reviewing historical UFO reports and previously released summaries of its findings. Officials say none of the cases analyzed so far have confirmed alien origins.
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