Trump orders Pentagon to release UFO files, says public can decide for themselves

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the Pentagon to release a tranche of classified UFO files, telling reporters that the public should be able to judge the evidence for themselves after decades of government secrecy on unidentified aerial phenomena.

The directive, issued through an executive memorandum, instructs the Defence Department to declassify and publish dozens of videos, photographs and internal reports related to UAP encounters by military personnel. The release represents the most significant disclosure of such material since the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in 2022.

“I have seen some of the footage, and it is very impressive,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We have been keeping this from the public for too long. Let the people decide what they think.”

Scope of release

The documents to be declassified include incidents reported by Navy, Air Force and Army personnel dating back to the 1990s, according to a White House fact sheet. Several of the videos have been the subject of speculation in unclassified circles, but the Pentagon has previously declined to confirm their authenticity.

The Washington Post reported that the release includes records from the UAP task force’s investigations into encounters that pilots described as involving craft with no visible means of propulsion or aerodynamic control surfaces.

Congressional reaction

The order drew bipartisan reactions on Capitol Hill. Senator Marco Rubio, who as secretary of state is focused on the Ukraine-Russia ceasefire but has previously taken an interest in UAP transparency, said the release would allow “a more informed public debate”. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has pushed for greater UAP disclosure, said the move was overdue.

Some defence hawks expressed concern that the declassification could reveal sensitive surveillance capabilities. The Pentagon said it would redact information relating to sources and methods while releasing the core footage and analytical reports.

What happens next

The Defence Department has 90 days to complete the declassification review and establish a public portal for accessing the materials. A separate review of intelligence community records related to UAPs is expected to take longer, with a deadline of 180 days.

Trump’s order does not mandate any further investigations into the origin of the phenomena, leaving the question of whether any of the incidents represent non-human technology unresolved. The Pentagon’s AARO has previously concluded that the majority of UAP reports can be attributed to ordinary aircraft, drones or sensor anomalies, though a small fraction remain unexplained.