The U.S. Department of Defense—the Pentagon—has released a batch of classified documents regarding aliens. These documents were made public on Friday, following a directive from President Donald Trump. The released files detail investigations into various incidents involving unidentified flying objects (UFOs) spanning several decades. However, the terminology currently used to describe these phenomena has shifted from “UFOs” to “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.” The Pentagon stated that additional documents will be identified and released in stages, following a review of their classification status. The released collection includes several older files from the FBI. These documents incorporate hundreds of eyewitness accounts and public reports dating back to the period between 1947 and 1968.
Additionally, some documents pertaining to recent events have also been released. These include reports of sightings of small, unidentified flying objects in Iraq in 2022. Similarly, the documents mention multiple sightings of lights or flashes of unknown origin in Syria in 2024. At the time, U.S. troops were stationed in Iraq and Syria as part of anti-ISIS operations. Observations made by U.S. troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates and Greece have also been included in the documents. However, the Pentagon has issued a cautionary note regarding the veracity of these reports.
The Pentagon stated that the language and analysis used in these reports primarily reflect the personal interpretations of the individuals filing them. Consequently, these accounts should not be regarded as definitive proof. The newly released documents also incorporate observations made by astronauts. During the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969, astronaut Alan L. Bean reported to Mission Control that he could see flashes of light in space that were rapidly moving away. He remarked, “It looks like some objects are moving away from the Moon.” Later, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, two astronauts also reported seeing extremely bright specks of light. One of them exclaimed, “It looks like there are fireworks going off outside!” However, the astronauts hypothesized that these phenomena were likely light reflections caused by ice particles.
This report was provided by the online news outlet Al Jazeera. Discussions regarding extraterrestrial life were reignited last February following a remark by former U.S. President Barack Obama. In a podcast, he stated that while extraterrestrial life is real, he himself had not witnessed it. Later, however, he clarified that during his presidency, he had found no evidence of any contact between Earth and extraterrestrial beings.
Shortly thereafter, Trump issued a directive on Truth Social to initiate the process of declassifying government records concerning UFOs, extraterrestrial life, and anomalous atmospheric phenomena. On Friday, Trump remarked that by releasing these documents, people would be able to decide for themselves what is actually taking place.
