The Pentagon is releasing “never-before-seen” files on UFOs. The files, many of which have been under wraps for decades, can now be accessed by anyone online.
The Friday release includes the declassification of 162 files on what the government officially calls unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) these days. These files can be found under a new tab on the Defense Department’s website. The move follows a presidential order that came in February, which called for greater transparency around UAP.
“The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly. The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place—no clearance required,” the Pentagon said in a post on X about the release.
The statement went on to blame previous presidential administrations for keeping the documents secret. “While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files.” New files will be added to the database “on a rolling basis,” it said.
That interest has undeniably ticked up in recent years. In part, that’s happened due to social media, given that a sighting viewed by one person—if captured on a smartphone—can go on to be viewed by millions. Likewise, there have been a number of documentary films released on the subject in recent years. Moreover, the number of people who say they believe in extraterrestrial life has been steadily climbing for decades. In 2025, 56% of Americans said they believe aliens exist, while 47% said that they’ve probably visited Earth, up from 36% in 2012.
As for the files, they include everything from photographs to reports on eyewitness sightings and other “unresolved cases,” which the page explains means that the government was unable to “make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena.” One file includes a transcript from Apollo 17, where astronauts can be heard speaking about “bright particles” or fragments,” along with alleged sightings going back to the 1950s.
Still, experts say that those with an interest in alien life should keep their excitement in check. Sean Kirkpatrick, a former career intelligence officer who led the Defense Department’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) until 2023, has viewed the documents and told AP News that there is nothing that’s going to enlighten us on extraterrestrials.
“Readers should not get their hopes up that there’s going to be some document with photos, interviewing the aliens when they came down,” he said. “Because that just doesn’t exist.”