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UAP events · The 2020s

UAP events in 2026

11 events in the archive

Every documented UAP event from 2026 in the Disclosure Archives record — hearings, document releases, official reports, named witness testimony, and major civilian sightings. Sorted newest to oldest within the year; each entry links to a primary source.

Every event from 2026

Document Release

Pentagon Releases Third PURSUE Batch: CIA Zimbabwe File, Colorado Springs "Potato" Object, and Spherical UAP Video from CENTCOM Theater

The U.S. Department of War released its third batch of UAP files on June 13, 2026, under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The release includes a previously undisclosed CIA document describing a disc-like object observed over Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe in 2008, reports of a translucent "potato"-shaped object seen near Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs in 2024, and footage of apparent luminous orbs assessed by analysts to likely be sky lanterns. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that WAR.GOV/UFO had received over 1.7 billion hits worldwide since its May 8, 2026 launch and confirmed that the Department of War and agency partners are actively preparing the next release. The article, written by Micah Hanks of The Debrief, also highlights a video from the second PURSUE batch — designated DOW-UAP-PR061, "Spherical UAP [CALLSIGN] 2021/04/12 vid 0" — which captured on April 12, 2021 from a U.S. military drone operating within USCENTCOM's area of responsibility appears to show a small, light-colored spherical object descending, changing direction, and moving into shadowed terrain. Hanks argues this video, while not extraordinary, is consistent with AARO's own "target package" for genuine UAP as characterized by former AARO director Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick in April 2023, and raises the broader question of whether higher-quality UAP data that informed AARO's technical signature data remains classified and unreleased.

Pentagon / Department of War, Virginia — United States#AARO#Department of War#Declassified Document#Document Release
Document Release
Featured

PURSUE Release 03: Department of War declassifies 72 more UAP files — the FBI's tranche

The third tranche of the Trump administration's PURSUE program: 72 files — 53 documents, 10 images, 6 videos, 3 audio files — bringing the public corpus to 294 files. The FBI dominates with 29 files, anchored by two modern American case clusters: a four-year series of orb sightings in the northeastern U.S. that the Bureau's own agents witnessed first-hand, and the first-person record of the October 2023 Western US Event. Also included: the CIA's 1953 Robertson Panel report in less-redacted form, NASA's Gemini-era crew debriefings, and the 1962 Cronkite–Cooper interview audio.

The Pentagon, Virginia — United States#AARO#Video Evidence#Department of War#FBI
Document Release

IAA SETI Committee and uNHIdden Foundation Release Updated Protocols for Extraterrestrial Contact Detection and Public Preparedness

In June 2026, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) ratified a major update to its post-detection protocols governing the evaluation, verification, and public communication of potential extraterrestrial intelligence discoveries. Separately, the uNHIdden Foundation — a nonprofit focused on mental health related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — released what it describes as the first public-health preparedness framework addressing the societal impact of a paradigm-shifting disclosure event. Both developments were reported by The Debrief on June 11, 2026. The IAA's revised declaration, led by Professor Michael Garrett of the IAA SETI Committee, updates protocols last adopted in 2010, expanding their scope to address deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation, social media, and the broadened technical landscape of modern SETI research. The uNHIdden Foundation's framework, launched June 8 by founder John Priestland and clinical spokesperson Dr. Martin Abbas, was developed by healthcare practitioners and public-health specialists to identify vulnerable populations and propose community-level resilience measures. While neither document constitutes a government action, both are intended to be shared with international bodies including the United Nations, and the IAA protocols are scheduled for formal presentation at the International Astronautical Congress in Türkiye later in 2026.

Official Statement
Featured

Grusch and bipartisan lawmakers demand UAP record declassification on the Capitol steps

On June 9, 2026, UAP whistleblower David Grusch joined a bipartisan group of House members on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand that the federal government declassify and publish its records on unidentified anomalous phenomena. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Eric Burlison, Tim Burchett, and Jared Moskowitz appeared alongside investigative journalist Leslie Kean and documentary filmmaker James Fox, pressing Congress to pass the UAP Disclosure Act and to ensure that career intelligence officials do not obstruct the administration's declassification directive. At the lectern Grusch went further than usual on the nature of the phenomena, telling reporters the government is aware of 'several' kinds of non-human life, ranging from 'corporeal bipedal type life' to what he called 'sentient plasma life.'

U.S. Capitol, District of Columbia — United States#Whistleblower#Legislation#Trump Administration#Non-Human Intelligence
Document Release
Featured

PURSUE Release 02: Department of War declassifies 64 more UAP files

Exactly 14 days after PURSUE Release 01, the U.S. Department of War publishes a second tranche of declassified UAP records through war.gov/UFO: 51 sensor videos (the DOW-UAP-PR050–PR099 series), 7 NASA crew audio files, and 6 documents. The centerpiece is a first-person USPER narrative from a currently-serving senior U.S. intelligence officer describing a one-hour, multi-witness UAP encounter from a U.S. military helicopter in late 2025.

The Pentagon, Virginia — United States#AARO#Multiple Witnesses#Video Evidence#Department of War
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.

Report

Mission Report: Mediterranean Sea, NA (DOW-UAP-D54)

A U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP. The report describes the UAP as a “triangular and metallic UAP.” The reporter estimated the UAP’s altitude as 24,989 feet and speed as 168 knots (193mph). All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance

Mediterranean Sea — International waters#PURSUE Release 01#Department of War#2020s#Triangular UAP
Document Release
Featured

PURSUE Release 01: Department of War declassifies 160 UAP files

The Trump administration launches PURSUE — the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters — and the Department of War publishes 160 declassified UAP-related files in the first tranche: 117 PDFs, 29 sensor videos, and 14 photographs spanning 1944 to 2026. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the goal is 'maximum transparency.'

The Pentagon, Virginia — United States#AARO#Multiple Witnesses#Video Evidence#PURSUE Release 01
Document Release

Email Correspondence: Pacific Time Zone, March 2023 (DOW-UAP-D51)

This document is email correspondence describing the content of a mission report and requesting clarification on its content. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

Pacific Time Zone — United States#PURSUE Release 01#Department of War#2020s#Americas
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