Trump Directs Declassification of UFO Files: Pentagon Releases Over 160 Documents
In February 2025, former President Donald Trump directed federal agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), to identify and release government records related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs), now commonly referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). The directive, announced via social media, specified that the files should include information on "alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects."
On Friday, following this directive, the Pentagon released an initial batch of over 160 declassified files, which are available on a dedicated web portal. The release is a partnership involving the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Energy, the FBI, and NASA.
"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it's time the American people see it for themselves." — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the release as the first step in an ongoing joint declassification and release effort. Additional files are expected to be released on a rolling basis in the future.
Contents of the Released Files
The released documents date from the late 1940s to 2023 and include reports from military personnel, civilians, and government officials. Notable items from the batch include:
- 1947 — A report from Air Defense Command describing a "bright orange object" sighted by a commercial pilot.
- 1948 — An Air Force intelligence report noting sightings over Europe, stating they "cannot be disregarded" and "must be explained on some basis which is perhaps slightly beyond the scope of our present intelligence thinking."
- 1955 — An incident involving Senator Richard Russell and others who reported seeing "flying disc aircraft" from a train in the Soviet Union. A partially redacted CIA cable described the witnesses as "excellent sources."
- July 1969 — An Apollo 11 technical crew debriefing attributing three observations to astronaut Buzz Aldrin, including an object en route to the Moon and a bright light on the return trip.
- 1969 — A photo taken from the Moon's surface during the Apollo 12 mission.
- 1972 — A transcript from the Apollo 17 crew describing "bright particles or fragments" seen from the Moon.
- 2022 — A video of a football-shaped object over the East China Sea.
- September 2023 — An account from a woman with experience in military aircraft and drones, corroborated by several others, describing a metallic oval object with a bright light. The woman stated she faced ridicule from coworkers.
Context and Official Stance
The directive and subsequent releases follow several years of increased public and governmental scrutiny of UAP. Public interest re-emerged significantly in 2017 after former government officials provided Navy videos of unknown objects to US media. This led to congressional hearings on UAP in May 2022, the first in 50 years.
In July 2022, the Pentagon established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to centralize the collection of military UAP encounters. A June 2024 unclassified report to Congress indicated that while hundreds of reports were made, AARO had "discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology." A subsequent Pentagon report in March 2024 concluded that there was no evidence UFOs represented alien technology, attributing most sightings to conventional sources such as weather balloons, birds, and satellites.
Prior to making the directive, Trump commented on remarks made by former President Barack Obama, who had stated in a podcast interview that "aliens are real." Trump accused Obama of disclosing "classified information." Obama later clarified in a statement that he had not seen evidence of extraterrestrial contact during his presidency, but suggested that the vastness of the universe makes the statistical probability of life elsewhere high.
"I don't know if they are real or not." — Donald Trump, on his personal belief regarding extraterrestrial life
Reactions
Following the directive, several members of Congress expressed support. Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who chairs a congressional task force on UAP, expressed gratitude for the initiative. Democratic Senator John Fetterman described the decision as "fantastic," stating that "America and the world deserve this."
Some critics, including former Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, viewed the disclosure as a distraction from other political issues. UAP investigator Mick West noted that the files include new videos of known sightings but no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life, and that previous administrations, including that of Joe Biden, had already released much of the same information.
"I think we've already proven the existence of UAP, but that doesn't mean we've proven they're alien or extraterrestrial." — Independent journalist Leslie Kean