Department of War Releases Third Batch of Declassified UAP Files
On Friday, the United States Department of War (DoW) announced the third release of declassified Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files, adding a fresh wave of intrigue to the growing archive. The documents come under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), a program launched by an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump in March 2026.
The new batch is packed with 53 documents and 10 images sourced from the CIA, FBI, NASA, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies that had never been made public. NASA contributes six videos and three audio recordings, all of which capture orb‑like objects drifting across the sky. The accompanying images and clips are described in the files as “artistic interpretations” of reported sightings.
A highlight of the release is a focus on encounters reported by federal law‑enforcement officers in 2023. Five special agents shared their experiences with the Pentagon’s All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). In one account, an agent recalled his partner asking, “Are you seeing this?” as a glowing orb illuminated the horizon.
The agents’ narratives offer vivid details: one began with “weird lights moving along in groups miles away,” another described red lights that “accelerated instantly and maneuvered with perfect, smooth coordination into a horizontal formation.” Witness 4 recounted smaller orbs “being hatched from the larger very bright orange light” multiple times, losing count after five occurrences. Witness 3 likened the discharged orbs to “grapes being expelled from a basketball” and echoed the partner’s question, “Are you seeing this?”
The release also showcases footage collected by the FBI that presents eyewitness encounters. Four videos are labeled as “eyewitness footage of strange encounters,” marking a shift from earlier releases that were dominated by military recordings.
The DoW noted that the website war.gov/ufo, which hosts the PURSUE archive, has attracted more than 1.7 billion hits worldwide since its launch on May 8 2026. The department pledged to continue publishing additional files on a rolling basis.
In a separate entry, the release documents a July 2025 event where an eyewitness observed an intense bright light in their backyard. The light hovered about 25 feet off the ground, below a tree line, and was described as a “brilliant red sphere” roughly one meter in diameter. The eyewitness recorded the event on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the FBI assessed the witness as credible.
The third batch of files is now available for public review at war.gov/ufo. The DoW emphasized that this release is part of an ongoing effort to provide transparency on UAP encounters.
PURSUE has already issued two prior releases. The first drop, on May 8 2026, included a wide range of materials such as photographs, videos, witness accounts, and military records. A second release followed on May 22 2026, adding additional documents and footage.
The Trump administration’s executive order directed federal agencies to identify and declassify records related to UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrial life. The DoW’s statement clarified that the released materials represent unresolved cases for which the government could not make a definitive determination based on available evidence.
While the continued publication of UAP files is expected to shed further light on the phenomenon, the documents do not confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life. The Department of War and its partners are working on the next release.
Readers can access the full set of documents, images, videos, and audio recordings through the PURSUE archive on war.gov/ufo.
