Share to ClassroomPentagon Releases Decades of Classified UFO Files
The U.S. Department of Defense released more than 160 previously classified files on Friday about UFOs (unidentified flying objects) , known to the military as UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena) . The documents are available on a special website, war.gov/UFO, and cover decades of reports. President Donald Trump ordered the release, calling for greater openness about strange and unexplained events. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said this is just the first batch, with more files to be released over the coming weeks.
The files contain a wide range of accounts. Transcripts from the Apollo 11, 12, and 17 Moon missions show astronauts describing strange lights. Buzz Aldrin reported a 'bright light source' that the crew thought might be a laser, while Apollo 17's Jack Schmitt said the flashes were 'like the Fourth of July.' A 1948 Top Secret memo from the U.S. Air Force described repeated sightings over Europe. Swedish officials told the Americans that the technology behind the objects could not belong to any known culture on Earth. More recent files describe metal egg-shaped objects floating above trees in 2023 and military video from Iraq, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates in 2022.
Reactions have been mixed. Congressman Tim Burchett, a long-time supporter of UFO transparency, called the release' a great start.' But UFO researcher Dennis Anderson told the New York Post that the government is only sharing the safest material. He believes officials know that something exists but can not defend against it, and that they will never reveal the full truth. Anderson worries that releasing files slowly will make the public lose interest. Several documents, including the 2023 sighting near a restricted area, are still partly hidden, and the Pentagon has not said when, or if, the full archive will be made public.
