The US Department of Defense has released for the first time a large trove of classified materials on sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). More than 160 files—videos, photographs, military reports, and intelligence documents collected over the past 80 years—have been posted on the Pentagon's official website and a specialized government portal.

The publication was the result of the Trump administration's initiative to promote "maximum transparency" on matters related to possible extraterrestrial life. In February 2026, Trump instructed the Pentagon and other agencies to begin the process of identifying and releasing government documents on this topic.

The first collection includes documents spanning the period from the 1940s to the present. The archive includes not only civilian testimonies but also testimony from military pilots, drone operators, and even NASA astronauts.

One of the most talked-about recordings was made in 2024 over Japan—a video captured by American pilots of an object shaped like an American football. Another video, dated 1972, was captured by the Apollo 17 lander's camera: it shows mysterious moving lights above the lunar surface. Images from the Apollo 12 mission have also been released.

Particular attention was drawn to videos of UFOs flying over Africa (2025), Greece (2023), and a star-shaped object rapidly moving across the sky in a zigzag pattern. The documents also contain archival State Department cables, FBI materials, and transcripts of manned space flights.