In the span of just ten weeks, the United States government has undertaken what may be the most significant UFO declassification effort in history. Four separate tranches of files have been released through a brand-new public portal called PURSUE — the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters — at war.gov/ufo. The releases include declassified infrared video footage, government documents spanning multiple agencies and decades, and even FBI-catalogued civilian recordings. This is the story of how it started, what each release contained, and why it matters.
Introduction: A New Era of UFO Transparency
The year 2026 will likely be remembered as the moment the United States government fundamentally changed its approach to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). For decades — arguably since the closure of Project Blue Book in 1969 — the official posture toward UFOs was one of dismissal, ridicule, or silence. That posture has now been replaced by something unprecedented: a systematic, rolling declassification program directed from the White House itself.
The catalyst was a February 2026 directive from President Donald Trump ordering every federal agency — the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, NASA, the FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) — to identify and declassify records connected to UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrials. This directive did not emerge from a vacuum. It was the culmination of years of congressional pressure, whistleblower testimony, and legislative groundwork that had been building since David Grusch's explosive 2023 claims about covert UAP retrieval programs.
The result was PURSUE: a dedicated public portal at war.gov/ufo where declassified UAP files are being published on a rolling basis, with new tranches arriving every few weeks. As of this writing, four releases have been published, beginning on May 8, 2026, and continuing through July 10, 2026. Each release has been larger and more wide-ranging than the last.
The Four Releases So Far
What follows is a detailed breakdown of each PURSUE release, based on the official files published at war.gov/ufo, Department of War press releases, and coverage from major news outlets including Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, and Newsweek.
Historic First Release: PURSUE Portal Launch
May 8, 2026
On May 8, 2026, the Trump Administration launched the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) at war.gov/ufo. This was the first time in U.S. history that the government created a dedicated, publicly accessible portal for the release of declassified UAP files. The inaugural release included documents, videos, and photographs spanning decades of UAP encounters.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the launch, stating: "The American people can now access the federal government's declassified UAP files instantly." The White House had directed all federal agencies — including the DOE, NASA, FBI, DOD, and ODNI — to identify and declassify UAP-related records in response to the February 2026 presidential directive.
- Declassified documents spanning multiple decades of UAP encounters
- Video footage of UAP encounters from military sensors
- Photographs of unidentified aerial phenomena
- First-ever public UAP declassification portal at war.gov/ufo
- Directive to all federal agencies to participate
UAE and Gulf Footage — Middle East UAP Data
May 22, 2026
The second PURSUE release on May 22, 2026, was notable for breaking new geographic ground. It included declassified footage and documents showing UAP sightings over the United Arab Emirates and surrounding Gulf waters, captured by U.S. military sensors. This was the first release to include Middle East UAP data, confirming that the U.S. government has been tracking UAP activity far beyond American airspace.
The inclusion of Gulf region footage was significant for several reasons. It demonstrated that UAP encounters are not confined to U.S. territory or traditional military training areas. It also suggested that the U.S. military's sensor networks — including those operated by Central Command in the Middle East — have been capturing UAP data that had never been disclosed to the public. Coverage from regional outlets like The National (UAE) and Gulf Today confirmed the significance of the Middle East data appearing in an American declassification release.
- Declassified footage of UAP over the UAE
- Documents covering UAP sightings in Gulf waters
- First inclusion of Middle East UAP data in a U.S. government release
- Confirmation that U.S. military sensors track UAP globally
Third Tranche — Multi-Agency Documents and IR Footage
June 12, 2026
The third release on June 12, 2026, continued the established pattern of rolling declassification. This tranche included documents from multiple government agencies and additional infrared video footage of UAP encounters. While the Department of War did not publicize a single headline item from this release, the breadth of agency participation — with documents sourced from across the federal government — underscored the scope of the presidential directive.
The continued inclusion of infrared footage was notable. IR video is particularly valuable for UAP analysis because it captures objects by their heat signatures rather than visible light, making it possible to detect craft that might be invisible to the naked eye. The pattern of releasing IR footage alongside documentary records gives researchers both raw sensor data and the bureaucratic context needed to understand it.
- Documents from multiple federal agencies
- Additional infrared video footage of UAP encounters
- Continuation of the rolling release schedule
- New tranches expected every few weeks
Fourth Release — 19 Videos, Multi-Agency Documents, FBI Civilian Footage
July 10, 2026
The fourth and most recent release, published on July 10, 2026, is the largest and most comprehensive to date. It includes 19 videos, declassified documents from the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Department of Defense, and infrared footage of multiple unresolved UAP encounters. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated: "This release demonstrates the Trump Administration's earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency."
The geographic and temporal range of the footage is striking. The release includes objects filmed over the Yellow Sea in 2025, the East China Sea in 2025, the Western United States in 1996, the Gulf of America in 2019, and Space Shuttle Columbia STS-80 imagery from 1996. The inclusion of STS-80 footage — captured during a NASA space shuttle mission — is particularly noteworthy, as it brings NASA directly into the UAP disclosure conversation in a way that goes beyond the agency's 2023 independent study report.
Also released under the fourth tranche was FBI case file FBI-UAP-PR004: cellphone video filmed by a civilian in their backyard in the northeastern United States in July 2025. The footage shows two red spherical orbs hovering in silence, with one orb rotating while the other hovers motionless, before both move westward together and disappear. The video was recorded on an iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is verified government-released civilian footage — not a leak, not a rumour — catalogued and declassified by the FBI. The case generated significant discussion on Reddit's r/UFOs community, with particular focus on the orb rotation behaviour.
- 19 declassified videos — the largest single release
- Documents from the Department of Energy (DOE)
- Documents from NASA
- Documents from the Department of Defense (DOD)
- Infrared footage: Yellow Sea (2025), East China Sea (2025), Western US (1996)
- Gulf of America footage (2019)
- Space Shuttle Columbia STS-80 imagery (1996)
- FBI case file FBI-UAP-PR004: civilian cellphone footage of two red orbs
What Is PURSUE?
PURSUE stands for the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. It is a web portal hosted at war.gov/ufo — the official domain of the Department of War (the renamed Department of Defense under the Trump Administration) — where declassified UAP files are published for public access.
The portal was launched on May 8, 2026, as part of President Trump's February 2026 directive ordering all federal agencies to identify and declassify records related to UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrials. The directive explicitly named the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as agencies required to participate. This meant that no single agency could withhold files by claiming they fell outside its purview — every major intelligence and scientific body in the federal government was ordered to comply.
The legal foundation for PURSUE was laid by congressional legislation that had been working its way through the legislative process since 2025. Multiple UAP disclosure bills were introduced, including Rep. Burlison's UAP Disclosure Act of 2025 — introduced as an amendment to the NDAA — which would prohibit the destruction of UAP records, establish an independent review board, and require public disclosure within 25 years. Senators Schumer and Rounds introduced similar legislation modeled after the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act, with a "presumption of disclosure" standard that would require every federal agency to identify and declassify UAP records. Without this legislative backbone, PURSUE would not exist.
The PURSUE portal represents a fundamentally different approach to UAP transparency. Rather than releasing files through FOIA requests — which can take years and are often heavily redacted — the government is proactively declassifying and publishing records. The releases are happening on a rolling basis, with new tranches arriving every few weeks. This means the archive is growing continuously, and researchers, journalists, and the public can access new material without filing any requests.
What Is Confirmed
The following facts are verified and documented through official government releases, press releases, and major news coverage:
✅ Verified Facts
- The PURSUE portal exists and is publicly accessible at war.gov/ufo
- President Trump issued a February 2026 directive ordering all federal agencies to declassify UAP records
- Four tranches of files have been released: May 8, May 22, June 12, and July 10, 2026
- The fourth release included 19 videos and documents from the DOE, NASA, and DOD
- Infrared footage of UAP over the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Western US, Gulf of America, and from Space Shuttle Columbia STS-80 has been released
- FBI case file FBI-UAP-PR004 — civilian footage of two red orbs — has been declassified and published
- UAP footage from the UAE and Gulf waters was included in the second release
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth publicly endorsed the releases as demonstrating "unprecedented transparency"
- Congressional legislation (UAP Disclosure Act 2025, Schumer-Rounds bill) provided the legal framework
- The Department of Energy — which oversees nuclear weapons — was included in the declassification order
- The portal is maintained by the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense)
- Files are being released on a rolling basis with new tranches expected every few weeks
What Remains Unconfirmed
Despite the unprecedented transparency, several significant claims and questions remain unresolved:
❓ Unverified or Unresolved
- The nature and origin of the objects captured in the released footage — the government has not stated what the UAP are
- Whether the "Immaculate Constellation" program — an alleged Unacknowledged Special Access Program for UAP imagery intelligence described to Congress in November 2024 — exists as described
- Whether the declassified files represent the totality of government UAP records or whether significant material remains classified
- The specific analysis conclusions (if any) that the government has reached about the objects in the released videos
- Whether any recovered "exotic materials" or "reproduction vehicles" exist, as claimed by whistleblower David Grusch in 2023
- The full scope of the Department of Energy's UAP records — the DOE's inclusion suggests nuclear-related UAP incidents may be documented, but details remain limited
- Whether foreign governments (beyond Japan's public engagement) are coordinating with the U.S. on UAP analysis through PURSUE
- The identity of the civilian who filmed the FBI-UAP-PR004 red orbs footage (understandably protected, but the case is open)
- Whether the rolling release schedule has a defined endpoint or will continue indefinitely
- The full contents of NASA's UAP records beyond the STS-80 imagery — the space agency's complete holdings remain undisclosed
Why This Matters
The PURSUE program matters for several interconnected reasons, each of which represents a significant shift in how the U.S. government handles the UAP question.
First, it ends the stigma. For decades, anyone — whether a military pilot, a scientist, or a civilian — who reported seeing something unexplained in the sky risked professional ridicule and career damage. By officially declassifying and publishing UAP files through a government portal, the government has effectively said: these phenomena are real, they are worth studying, and reporting them is not something to be ashamed of. This is a cultural shift as much as a policy one.
Second, it enables scientific analysis. The released infrared footage, documents, and sensor data provide researchers — both inside and outside government — with primary source material that can be subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny. Harvard's Galileo Project, led by astrophysicist Avi Loeb, has been building independent UAP detection capabilities. The AARO FY2025 report confirmed that 205 of 319 reported UAP cases remain unresolved — 64% of all reported cases. The PURSUE releases give scientists more data to work with than they have ever had before.
Third, it creates a precedent. Once a government begins proactively declassifying UAP files, it becomes politically difficult to stop. The rolling release schedule creates an expectation of continued transparency. Congressional legislation — particularly the UAP Disclosure Act of 2025 with its "presumption of disclosure" standard — ensures that this is not merely a policy of the current administration but a legal framework that will outlast any single president. The comparison to the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act is apt: once the government committed to releasing JFK files, the momentum was irreversible. The same may prove true for UAP files.
Fourth, it connects to a global pattern. The PURSUE releases do not exist in isolation. Japan's Defence Ministry has formally engaged with UAP as a national security issue and is analyzing the PURSUE releases. The AARO FY2025 report documented a 178% increase in UAP incidents near nuclear infrastructure — 50 incidents referred by the NNSA and NRC. Airport drone/UAP incursions have occurred simultaneously across the US, UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Brazil, and China. The objects filmed over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in the fourth release suggest that UAP activity is a global phenomenon, and the U.S. government is now the first major power to systematically disclose its data.
Fifth, the inclusion of the Department of Energy is a signal. The DOE oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Its inclusion in the declassification directive, and the presence of DOE documents in the fourth release, suggests that the government may be sitting on records that connect UAP to nuclear sites — a pattern documented since the 1940s by researchers like Robert Hastings in his "UFOs and Nukes" research. The AARO report's confirmation of 50 UAP incidents near nuclear infrastructure makes this connection explicit.
Key Videos Released
The PURSUE releases have included numerous declassified videos. Below are the official coverage videos for each release, available on YouTube. The actual declassified footage is available directly through the war.gov/ufo portal.
Deep Dives: Historical Context for the PURSUE Releases
The 2026 PURSUE releases did not happen in a vacuum. They are the latest chapter in a story that spans nearly 80 years of government encounters with unexplained aerial phenomena. To understand the significance of what is being declassified now, it helps to understand the historical cases that established the pattern. The UAP Map's deep dive articles provide detailed analysis of the cases that shaped this story:
What Comes Next
The PURSUE program has released four tranches in ten weeks. If the rolling release schedule continues at its current pace, additional releases can be expected throughout the remainder of 2026. The fourth release was the largest yet, and there is no indication that the government intends to slow down. Secretary Hegseth's language — "earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency" — suggests the administration views this as a signature initiative.
Several key questions will shape what comes next. Will the releases eventually include physical evidence — materials, debris, or sensor data that goes beyond video and documents? Will the Department of Energy's files shed light on the connection between UAP and nuclear sites that has been documented anecdotally for decades? Will other nations follow Japan's lead and formally engage with the U.S. declassification process? And will Congress pass the UAP Disclosure Act, cementing the "presumption of disclosure" into law so that no future administration can reverse course?
What is certain is that the PURSUE portal at war.gov/ufo represents the most significant shift in official U.S. government policy toward UFOs since Project Blue Book was closed in 1969. Whether you are a researcher, a skeptic, or simply curious, the files are now publicly available — and they are growing every few weeks. The age of secrecy is over. The age of data has begun.
Sources: war.gov/ufo official releases (01–04), Department of War press releases, White House directive (February 2026), Congress.gov (S.Amdt.3111, House bill 1187), AARO FY2025 Consolidated Annual Report, Wikipedia: United States UFO files, coverage from Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, Newsweek, The National (UAE), Gulf Today, The Debrief, DefenseScoop, and Reddit r/UFOs community analysis. All declassified files are available directly at war.gov/ufo.