President of the United States Donald Trump He announced this week that he has formally directed the War Department and federal intelligence agencies to begin declassifying and releasing government records on UFOs and extraterrestrial life.Speaking at a rally in Phoenix, the US president said “very interesting documents” were being identified. He told the crowd that the release of the first batch of documents would begin “very, very soon,” although the White House has not provided a specific timeline for the rollout.
Directives to Federal Agencies
In February 2026, Trump issued a formal directive to Secretary of War Pete Hegers and other agency heads. The order directs the government to locate and prepare for public release the following relevant documents:
unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP)- UFO
- Information about “Aliens and Extraterrestrial Life”
Pursuant to this directive, the government registered the Aliens.gov domain name in March, intended to serve as a central clearinghouse for declassified material.
Pressure from Congress
The move comes amid an intensifying standoff between the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, chair of the House Federal Secrets Task Force, recently requested the release of 46 specific classified videos. The videos reportedly show “tic-tac-toe” objects maneuvering in restricted airspace and combat zones.Rep. Tim Burchett also called for more transparency, citing UAP’s confidential briefings, which he said contained information that “would set the earth on fire” if made public. Both lawmakers criticized the Pentagon’s All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for missing a deadline to provide the records to Congress.
What is expected to be included in the file?
While specifics remain under wraps, the upcoming release is expected to focus on:
- Military Sensor Data: Declassified radar tracks and infrared footage from Navy and Air Force encounters.
- Historical Records: Older documents in the National Archives have been digitized for public viewing.
- Recent incursions: Reports of a 2023 incident in which an F-16 shot down an unidentified object over Lake Huron, as well as reports of a drone swarm-like incident over Langley Air Force Base.
Past government survey results
Despite Trump’s enthusiasm, official military reports remain cautious. A 2024 AARO report stated that no evidence has been found to confirm that any UAP sightings involved alien technology. The military has historically attributed many sightings to balloon, drone or sensor malfunctions. However, whistleblowers like former intelligence official David Grusch testified to Congress in 2023 that the United States has maintained a “decades-long” program to recover and reverse-engineer crashed spacecraft. The administration has previously denied the claims, but the new executive order aims to force a new search of agency records to resolve the dispute.The White House said the “rapid release” of the never-before-seen material was a top priority for the administration’s second term.
