The Pentagon, Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, began releasing “never-before-seen” secret files on May 8, 2026. These files are about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAP for short. People used to call them UFOs (unidentified flying objects). The government now uses the name UAP because it covers more kinds of strange events.

The release came almost a month after President Donald Trump told a gathering that some “very interesting documents” would be released by the Department of Defense “very, very soon.”

The files are now on a special government website: war.gov/UFO. More files will be added “on a rolling basis” — meaning a little at a time. The Pentagon said in a press release: “The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly. The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place — no clearance required.”

What’s Inside the Files?

There are more than 160 files describing more than 400 incidents from all around the world. Some eyewitness reports are from last year; others go all the way back to the 1940s.

Many of the videos are grainy U.S. military footage shot with infrared cameras (these cameras see heat instead of regular light). There are also lots of blurry photos showing points of light, dark spots, or oddly shaped objects that are hard to identify.

Apollo Moon Mission Sightings

Some of the most interesting stories come from NASA’s Apollo moon missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

• During Apollo 11 in 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported seeing “little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart” while trying to fall asleep. In another note, he described “what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.”
• On Apollo 12 in 1969, astronaut Alan Bean reported “flashes of light” that he said were “sailing off into space.”
• During Apollo 17 in 1972 (the last Apollo mission), the crew saw “very bright particles” of light that were “tumbling” and “rotating way out in the distance.” Astronaut Harrison Schmitt said the sight looked “like the Fourth of July.”

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon during Apollo 11.

Other Strange Reports in the Files

Not all the stories are from space. Here are a few more examples:

• On September 5, 1948, military crew members flying at 30,000 feet over the Netherlands reported seeing an unidentified aircraft with “sudden accelerations and then a climb.” A few months later, intelligence officials decided it was probably just a jet plane using “rocket assists with tremendous reserve power.”
• In 1965, during the Gemini 7 mission, astronaut Frank Borman radioed Houston about a “bogey at 10 o’clock high” (in old pilot talk, “bogey” meant an unknown object). He described it as “hundreds of little particles going by to the left out about three or four miles.”
• From 2020 to the present, there are U.S. Air Force mission reports about “potential” UAPs, though they give few details about what the objects were or exactly when and where they appeared.
• Regular people have also sent in reports since the 1940s. One example from September 2023 (partly redacted) describes a drone operator (talking to the FBI on FaceTime) who saw “a bright light over the horizon” at a U.S. test site. He described “a linear object with a super bright light on the east side… metallic/gray in color… no wings or exhaust… smaller than a 737 [jet], one to two Blackhawk helicopters in length… bigger than a drone.” It was about 5,000 feet above the ground, moved east to west, and vanished after 5–10 seconds. The sky was then clear.

Redactions (blacked-out parts) were made to protect the identity of witnesses, the locations of government facilities, or sensitive military information.

What the Files Do NOT Show

The documents do not suggest any big government cover-up of extraterrestrial encounters. There is no proof that the U.S. government has ever interacted with beings from other planets or has any reason to believe such beings have visited Earth. Many people who hoped for proof of aliens may be disappointed. Instead, the files give everyone pages and pages of information so they can make up their own minds.

Government Statements and Trump’s Role

Lawmakers in Congress, scientists, and even people who believe in conspiracy theories have been asking for these files for years. President Trump has often said the information should be released.

A Pentagon press release stated: “The American people have asked for more transparency on these topics, and President Trump is delivering.” It also said that while past administrations tried to “discredit or dissuade” the public, this administration wants “maximum transparency” so people can decide for themselves.

However, there is one important note: “While all of the files have been reviewed for security purposes, many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the release. He wrote that NASA’s 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.”

President Trump did not immediately comment on this specific file release. But back in February 2026, he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials to start reviewing government documents about “alien and extraterrestrial life.”

This announcement came just days after former President Barack Obama said on a podcast that “aliens were real.” Obama later clarified that he meant the odds are good there is life somewhere out there in the universe, but he had seen no evidence of alien visits while he was in the White House.

How the Release Was Organized

The whole effort has its own name: PURSUE (Presidential Unsealings and Reporting System for UAP Encounters).

The Pentagon modeled the release after the way the Department of Justice began releasing the Epstein Files in December 2025. The new UFO website was a little glitchy when it first launched.

Just like with the Epstein files, the White House did not provide any big explanation or interpretation of the UAP information.

Vocabulary Words to Learn

• Pentagon — Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Declassified — Secret information that is now allowed to be shared with the public.
• UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) — The current name for strange sky or space events that are hard to explain (older term: UFO).
• Extraterrestrial — Coming from outside Earth (for example, from another planet).
• Infrared — Heat energy that special cameras can see even when it’s dark.
• Redacted — Parts of a document that are blacked out to protect privacy or secrets.
• Transparency — Being open and honest so the public can clearly see what is happening.
• Anomalies — Things that are unusual or don’t fit normal patterns.
• Apollo missions — NASA space flights (1960s–1970s) that landed humans on the Moon.
• Astronaut — A person trained to travel and work in space.
• Bogey — Old pilot slang for an unknown object or aircraft.