Pentagon releases first batch of previously secret files documenting reports of UFOs

The Pentagon on Friday released an initial group of previously secret files documenting reports of UFOs – a move sought for decades by some. “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation – and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said in a statement posted on X. The release follows a directive from Donald Trump in February for federal agencies to begin identifying, declassifying and releasing government files related to unidentified flying objects, now known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), and the possibility of alien life beyond Earth. The move, the US president said at the time, was “based on the tremendous interest shown” by the public, and reflected renewed appetite for information about the government’s knowledge of, and perceived involvement in, programs tracking and even housing supposed aliens and their spacecraft. Last month Jared Isaacman , the new Nasa administrator, gave the drive for greater transparency at the agency more credence by stating the space agency planned missions to space at least in part because of the possible existence of extraterrestrial alien lifeforms. “The odds that we will find something at some point to suggest that we are not alone are pretty high,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press. …