Highlights
- War.gov/UFO website launches with secret reports.
- Trump criticises previous administrations' secrecy.
- Officials promise more files in coming releases.
President Donald Trump announced the release on Truth Social, criticising earlier administrations for failing to be transparent on the subject.
"With these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'" he wrote, adding "Have Fun and Enjoy!"
The war.gov/UFO website displays black and white photographs of unidentified aerial phenomena.
Visitors can look through dozens of files containing detailed accounts of reported UFO sightings. Government officials said this represents just the first batch, with more files to be declassified and released later.
Public debate begins
The release follows comments made by former president Barack Obama during a February interview when he said aliens are "real but I haven't seen them."
Obama later walked back his statement on Instagram, suggesting that while life probably exists somewhere in space statistically, he has seen no evidence of it. Trump revealed plans to release government UFO files shortly after Obama's initial remarks.
The government has collected information about UFOs for many years, including through the Pentagon's Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program that started nearly two decades ago.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the files were long “hidden behind classifications,” fueling speculationGetty Images
While many Americans connect sightings to alien life, experts frequently point to earthly explanations such as advanced technology developed by rival countries.
The Trump administration offered no conclusions Friday, saying they wanted Americans to form their own opinions.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that these files had been "hidden behind classifications" for too long, fuelling justified speculation about what the government knew.
This marks another major file release from the Trump administration. The president previously pledged to declassify information about president John F. Kennedy's assassination and aviator Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
However, the largest disclosure was not voluntary. Last December, the Justice Department began releasing files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following a law passed by Congress.
The department announced that release finished in late January.
The UFO files seem unlikely to spark similar controversy. The Pentagon stated that whilst past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump focuses on providing maximum transparency so the public can ultimately make up their own minds.
