Pictured is an artistic interpretation of a 2022 incident potentially involving a UFO reported near Colorado Springs, Colorado
The materials were uploaded to the Department of War's website on Friday morning and include a series of cases that investigators were unable to explain, leaving the nature of the phenomena unresolved definitively.
Among the newly released records is a 2025 FBI report describing a video captured by a citizen in the northeastern US.
According to the witness, a bright object hovered over their backyard as a 'brilliant red sphere' roughly the size of a basketball.
One video released on Friday shows what officials described as a 'plasma-like sphere' hovering above a pond at an undisclosed location in the US, appearing to shift shape and brightness as it moved. The incident was captured in 2025
Another video released on Friday, was taken by Americans in 2024. The footage shows glowing lights hanging over a pond in the northeastern region of the US
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a statement: 'The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government's understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
'These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation, and it's time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration's earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.'
According to the Pentagon, there have been 'unprecedented levels of interest' in the UFO files, and the Department of War's website has received over 1.7 billion hits worldwide since its launch on May 8.
A second release took place two weeks later.
Above is an artistic interpretation of a sighting described by law enforcement in the western US three years ago
The FBI report describes the July 2025 sighting from a witness who parked their car after returning from work.
'The light was hovering approximately 25 feet off the ground, below a tree line near the center of their backyard, at an estimated distance of 90 feet,' officials stated.
The witness briefly stepped out of their vehicle before grabbing their phone to record the strange sight. Their spouse soon joined them outside to see what was happening.
'The spouse also witnessed the light, describing it as a "brilliant red sphere" about one meter in diameter. The center of the red sphere appeared to be a white plasma "sun" about the size of a basketball,' the report continued.
The FBI assessment explained that the object slowly rose into the air and drifted left, prompting both witnesses to notice a second identical orb hovering directly above it.
The witness then pulled out an iPhone 14 Pro Max and began recording as the two glowing objects moved westward over a nearby tree line. According to the report, the orbs traveled silently and smoothly, appearing to move in lockstep as if flying in formation or connected to one another.
As they disappeared from view, both witnesses said the objects appeared to merge into a single orb. They estimated the phenomenon traveled roughly 75 yards from its original position before vanishing.
The sighting occurred within 25 miles of several other unexplained encounters, including the so-called 'Triangle Orbs,' 'Red Orb Rotation' and 'Orbs Over the Pond' incidents, in a sparsely populated area familiar to both witnesses.
Above is another artistic impression of a UFO sighting in 2023 submitted to the FBI from law enfrocement
'The luminous object resembled a "plasma-like sphere" intermittently changing shape and luminosity,' the FBI description stated.
'At times, the primary light source appeared to separate into smaller luminous points.'
A smaller luminous object could be seen hovering just above the water beneath the primary light source, appearing distinct from any reflection on the surface.
According to the report, the object remained largely stationary for about 45 minutes before suddenly disappearing. The witness reported hearing no sound at any point during the encounter.
The footage was captured by a private citizen using an iPhone and was later analyzed and authenticated by the US government. Officials said the video was cropped to protect the witness's identity, but stressed that no other edits, enhancements or alterations were made to the footage.
Officials had previously indicated that the next UFO file release would include newly declassified CIA records, an agency that some whistleblowers have accused of playing a central role in concealing evidence of extraterrestrial activity.
However, the documents released Friday do not substantiate those allegations.
This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident near a sensitive national security site in the western US involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) over a period of two days in October 2023
Among the cases discussed by the panel were the so-called 'Foo Fighters,' mysterious glowing objects reported by Allied pilots during World War II that appeared to fly alongside aircraft and perform unusual maneuvers.
The batch also includes a 1958 CIA memorandum detailing a conversation with Dr Leon Davidson about the alleged destruction of a mysterious 'space message,' and the device said to have transmitted it.
A censored version of the memo has long been publicly available.
Another newly released CIA record details a far more recent incident that reportedly triggered alarm within the intelligence community.
According to a cable dated July 2, 2008, CIA assets in Zimbabwe were placed on high alert after an unidentified object was spotted hovering above the country's main airport in Harare.
The cable, which was circulated throughout the US government and military during the final months of the George W. Bush administration, described a craft that 'hovered at an undetermined altitude directly over the Harare airport.'
Reader Comments