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On May 22, the US government released 64 additional files related to UFO/UAP's, fulfilling a request from Donald Trump. The files include grainy videos, citizen reports, and one notable instance of an experience from an intelligence officer that left him “virtually speechless.” The files, which US President Donald Trump ordered to be declassified via an executive order earlier in 2025, were posted to the Pentagon's UFO-specific site. In total, the second tranche of files includes six PDF reports, seven audio files, and 51 video files, none of which supply conclusive proof of UFOs or official analyses. The videos show footage taken from military aircraft or naval vessels, with each clip having a detailed description attached.
The release comes just two weeks after the Pentagon released the first tranche of documents, photos, and videos to its purpose-built UFP website. That first tranche also included PDF reports and military videos, but also strange encounters from military pilots, and even photos from NASA missions. The Pentagon made sure to state that “Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event's validity, nature, or significance.”
Details of the files
All 51 videos released include the kind of grainy, difficult-to-read video captured by military sensors and cameras. The familiar footage has become a common sight, and has led some people to question the validity of the videos. In the description accompanying the videos, the Pentagon noted that the footage was requested by House lawmakers in March. The descriptions also note when and where the videos were taken. All videos were found by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The Pentagon also noted that “[m]any of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody,” meaning their validity could not be properly confirmed.
One video that has gained traction online appears to show a US fighter jet shooting down a UAP over Lake Huron. Dated to 2023, the video shows a balloon-shaped object exploding after being shot with a rocket. The incident came shortly after a Chinese spy balloon traversed the US, sparking worry within the Pentagon. Early reports claim the balloon pictured in the video was most likely being controlled by hobbyists. A video from 2022, which does not have a location listed, shows multiple spherical objects going in and out of the water near a submarine. Many of the videos released are location-tagged to the Persian Gulf between 2018 and 2023. Many of the descriptions theorize that the UAP's are Iranian.
Intelligence officer shaken
The most interesting file released in this second tranche is a PDF report from an active ‘senior intelligence officer'. The account reports that the officer and his crew had a ‘series of close-up UAP encounters lasting more than an hour'. According to the report, the officer and his crew were aboard a military helicopter in 2025, investigating a UAP report when they experienced the encounters. The intelligence officer claimed that he and his crew spotted ‘countless' orange orbs floating before they faded into the sky. According to the intelligence officer, two orbs appeared close to their helicopter, emitting a strong orange light.
“In the distance, we saw countless orange orbs swarming in all directions against the backdrop of the mountain. The display lasted several minutes before fading, [T]he pilots and I (using the naked eye) observed two large orbs flare up side by side, close to the helicopter — stationary and just above the rotor disk to our right. They were oval-shaped, orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions.”
According to his account, the officer and his crew were left ‘utterly speechless' at the display.
Interesting audio files
There were also interesting historical audio files released on May 22, declassified from NASA's files. The audio files include clips from Apollo and Mercury missions, detailing strange encounters from astronauts. One audio clip described ‘snowflake'-like objects floating near the spacecraft. One astronaut described them as ‘fireflies'. Later analyses from NASA confirmed that the sightings were almost certainly frozen condensation separating from the spacecraft body. According to the Pentagon, “The white, green-hued appearance of this phenomenon results from sunlight reflecting off frozen condensation.” While the sighting was certainly scientific in nature, space enthusiasts have been enjoying the inside look into some of NASA's historical missions.
Just a distraction?
Critics and foreign policy experts have cast doubt on the motivations behind Trump's declassification of these files. While not a single one of the files does anything close to confirming the presence of aliens, the files have dominated the media since they were released. Advertised as ‘UFO files', most of the files are not related to potential extra-terrestrial life, and are instead simply potential aircraft and drones from America's foreign rivals. It's clear that the Pentagon is concerned about Iranian advancements in drone technology, and after China was found to have released a spy balloon over the United States, the Pentagon is not trying to prove that aliens exist, these files are simply military intelligence.
The Pentagon released are available to the public on the U.S. Department of War's website.
