UFO FILES 2026: The Trump Administration’s PURSUE initiative has released 161 secret UAP files, including Apollo mission transcripts and 2023 “orange orb” sightings.
In a landmark move that has set the internet and scientific community ablaze, the United States government began the rolling release of more than 160 previously classified files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), more commonly known as UFOs.
The announcement, made on May 8, 2026, marks the launch of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), an interagency effort aimed at providing “maximum transparency” regarding decades of unexplained aerial encounters.
The files, now hosted on a dedicated public portal (war.gov/UFO), include a mix of grainy historical footage, high-definition modern sensor data, and chilling eyewitness accounts from military personnel and federal agents.
For a public long accustomed to government obfuscation, the sudden arrival of original source documents from the FBI, NASA, and the newly rebranded Department of War represents a historic shift in the narrative of extraterrestrial speculation.
Inside the First Tranche: “Linear Objects” and “Orange Orbs”
The initial batch of 161 records spans nearly eight decades, with documents dating from the 1940s to as recently as early 2026. Among the most compelling materials is a 2023 report from a federal drone pilot who encountered a “linear object” emitting light so intense that internal bands were visible within the glow.
Another declassified file details a striking encounter involving three separate teams of federal law enforcement agents who witnessed orange orbs in the sky that appeared to “launch” smaller red orbs before vanishing. The release also touches on the final frontier, unsealing NASA transcripts from the Apollo 11, 12, and 17 missions.
During the Apollo 17 lunar mission, astronauts reportedly observed “very bright particles” tumbling near their craft, an anomaly they tentatively attributed to ice or paint fragments while admitting the explanation was a “wild guess”.
The PURSUE Initiative: A Mandate for Transparency
The release follows a February directive from President Donald J. Trump, who has frequently teased a full disclosure of the government’s “UFO secrets”. “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation, and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” stated Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
The PURSUE initiative is a collaborative effort involving high-level officials, including DNI Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel, who emphasized that the public should now have the right to “draw their own conclusions” from the raw data.
Unlike previous reports that sought to provide definitive debunking, this administration’s approach characterizes many of the 400 documented incidents as “unresolved,” acknowledging that current sensors and data are often insufficient to make a positive attribution.
Expert Skepticism and Scientific Inquiry
While the release has been celebrated by disclosure advocates, the scientific community remains cautious. Avi Loeb, a prominent Harvard astrophysicist, noted after a preliminary review that his team found no evidence in the first batch that necessitated an “exotic” or extraterrestrial origin.
Similarly, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency would continue to follow the data wherever it leads, remaining “candid about what we know to be true”.
Critics and experts like Neil deGrasse Tyson have urged the public to remember that “unidentified” does not mean “alien,” pointing out that optical illusions, advanced military technology, and astronomical phenomena often account for sightings.
What Comes Next?
This is only the beginning of what the administration promises will be a continuous, rolling disclosure. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a vocal advocate for transparency in Congress, has indicated that a second tranche is expected within 30 days.
This next batch is rumored to include 46 highly sought-after UAP videos identified by whistleblowers, which may provide even clearer footage of objects that allegedly “exceed known performance envelopes”.
