Sean Kirkpatrick
Former AARO Director
- Document Release
Pentagon's PURSUE Initiative Prepares "Release 02" of Up to 46 AARO UAP Videos
A new tranche of up to 46 UAP videos held by the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is expected to be released imminently under the Department of War's Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) initiative. The release follows a March 31, 2026, letter from Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth formally requesting the footage, which was originally due no later than April 14, 2026. On May 15, 2026, Luna confirmed she and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) had completed a review of the videos alongside AARO director Jon Kosloski. The forthcoming batch — anticipated to be designated "Release 02" — includes footage of spherical objects, cigar-shaped UAP, fast-moving objects, and at least two videos depicting what the military characterizes as "transmedium" or unidentified submerged objects (USOs). The collection also appears to include additional footage related to the January 26, 2023, Eglin Air Force Base diamond-formation incident and the February 12, 2023, Lake Huron shootdown event. The article, published by The Debrief on May 21, 2026, represents the most detailed public accounting of the expected contents of the release prior to its official publication.
- Official Statement
Christopher Mellon Calls on Trump Declassification Task Force to Release Withheld Unclassified UAP Videos
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Christopher Mellon published an op-ed in The Debrief on April 5, 2025, arguing that the Department of Defense is improperly withholding a large volume of unclassified UAP imagery from Congress and the public. Mellon contends that a restrictive classification guide created by the DoD's UAP Task Force — developed in the aftermath of the 2017–2018 Navy UAP video releases — has been applied to material that does not legitimately qualify for classification under Executive Order 13526, and that no official at DoD or in the Intelligence Community has been designated to advocate for or execute the release of unclassified UAP information. Mellon's piece is directed at Representative Anna Paulina Luna's Congressional Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, as well as the broader Trump administration, urging both to compel a review and release of unclassified UAP videos held by military and intelligence agencies. He references specific prior commitments — including a 2022 pledge by Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray before the House Intelligence Committee — that have not resulted in any meaningful public disclosures beyond a handful of videos on the AARO website. Mellon also notes an encouraging development: AARO, under the direction of Dr. Jon Kosloski, has agreed to locate and submit for declassification review a specific F-18 UAP video he recalled from years prior.