The Department of War waives NDA and special-access penalties for UAP disclosures to PURSUE

On 14 September 2026 the Department of War announced what it called a targeted legal waiver 'in direct alignment with President Trump's mandate for comprehensive transparency on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.' Under the directive, all current and former Department of War service members, civilian personnel and contractors who hold, or were previously granted access to, UAP-related National Defense Information are authorised to disclose that information directly to official PURSUE representatives.

The waiver supersedes the civil and administrative enforcement provisions contained in Non-Disclosure Agreements and Special Access Program Indoctrination Agreements previously executed within the United States — strictly for communications directed to the PURSUE team. The Department framed the purpose as establishing 'an authorized pipeline for systematic review, security evaluation, and potential declassification of historical and ongoing UAP data.'

The announcement acknowledged why such a pipeline had not existed: 'Historically, individuals with direct knowledge of UAP-related programs cited concerns regarding potential legal liability, loss of clearances, or administrative prosecution stemming from standard NDAs and SAP indoctrination terms.' The waiver, it said, 'removes those barriers by explicitly authorizing covered disclosures to PURSUE representatives without triggering breach-of-agreement penalties or standard NDA violations.'

The mechanism is narrower than a whistleblower statute: it covers disclosures to PURSUE, not to Congress, the press or the public, and it addresses civil and administrative enforcement rather than criminal exposure under the Espionage Act, which the announcement does not mention. Its practical effect will be visible only in what later releases contain. Release 06, published four days afterwards, was assembled before the waiver took effect.