Is there anybody out there? Pentagon releases secret UFO files
Key takeaways
- Interest in UFOs has been renewed in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of seemingly supernatural aircraft, amid worries that adversaries could be testing highly advanced technologies.
- "These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation -- and it's time the American people see it for themselves," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
- More than 160 files were released Friday on the website of the Defense Department, which officially refers to UFOs as "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena," or UAPs.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Washington (United States) (AFP) – The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects -- some dating back to the 1940s -- fanning speculation over whether extraterrestrial life exists.
This video grab image obtained April 28, 2020 courtesy of the US Department of Defense shows part of an unclassified video taken by Navy pilots that have circulated for years showing interactions with "unidentified anomalous phenomena" © Handout / DoD/AFP/File Reports of flying saucers and discs, and a sighting of an orb that resembled the "Eye of Sauron" are among the incidents in the files, which are from the FBI, State Department and NASA in addition to the Pentagon.
Interest in UFOs has been renewed in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of seemingly supernatural aircraft, amid worries that adversaries could be testing highly advanced technologies.