UFO Disclosure Files

Cleared May 8, 2026

PURSUE Release 01: May 8, 2026 UFO files

By UFO Disclosure Files Editorial Desk 2026-05-08 Updated 2026-05-12 Department of War Official record

PURSUE Release 01 is the first Department of War tranche in the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. The May 8 release opened a dedicated war.gov/UFO source path for unresolved UAP records, images, videos, and historical documents connected to the February 19, 2026 Trump directive.

The release is important because it gives the public an official source path for UAP material, but it is also easy to overstate. The government’s own framing says the archived cases are unresolved, not final identifications.

Release at a glance

Official program
Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE)
Release
Release 01
Cleared for release
May 8, 2026
Primary portal
war.gov/UFO
Lead agency
Department of War
Named partners
ODNI, FBI, NASA, and other departments and agencies referenced by the official announcement
Release model
Rolling tranches, with new material expected every few weeks according to the official PURSUE page
Core caveat
The archived cases are unresolved because the government says it cannot make a definitive determination from the available information

Source chain

February 19, 2026 directive

The PURSUE page ties the effort to President Donald J. Trump’s directive to identify and release government files related to UAP, UFOs, alien and extraterrestrial life, and connected government information.

Government-wide review

The Department of War says it is overseeing the effort with ODNI support, including review, identification, declassification, and public release of unresolved UAP-related records and historical documents.

Release 01 cleared

The first tranche was marked cleared for release on May 8, 2026 and connected to downloadable PDF/image material and official video material.

Rolling publication

The official page says the task spans many agencies, decades, and records, including paper holdings, and that new materials will be posted as they are discovered and declassified.

What this tranche contains

  • Official release text and the PURSUE portal framing.
  • Download paths for PDF/image material and video material.
  • Infrared stills and other visual records described by the portal, including western United States, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Africa, southern United States, INDOPACOM/Japan, and North America references.
  • Video-linked records on DVIDS, including PR28, PR34, PR46, and PR48 in the first verified coverage set.
  • Selected mission reports and statements, including USPER, DOW-UAP-D20, and DOW-UAP-D18 in the first record set covered here.

How to read the release

  • Read “unresolved” literally. It means no definitive determination is available from the released record, not that an extraordinary origin has been established.
  • Separate portal descriptions, mission-report claims, witness/operator language, and video observations. Each has a different evidentiary weight.
  • Treat official videos as evidence records, not complete cases. Without range, platform motion, sensor geometry, weather, and companion reports, visual interpretation remains limited.
  • Use individual record pages for analysis. The release hub explains the tranche; case pages should carry the detailed document and video work.

Official positions to track

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

Frames Release 01 as a transparency step and says declassified files should be seen directly rather than left behind classification barriers.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

Describes the release as the first part of an ongoing joint declassification and publication effort coordinated with the Department of War.

FBI Director Kash Patel

Presents the release as expanded public access to declassified UAP records while saying the FBI will continue supporting the rolling review.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman

Emphasizes a data-first approach: following evidence, stating what is known, and separating what remains unknown.

What this release establishes

The Department of War opened a dedicated public release channel for unresolved UAP records, tied the work to a government-wide declassification effort, and said additional tranches will continue as material is discovered and declassified.

What it does not establish

The release does not prove extraterrestrial origin, alien technology, hostile intent, or a final explanation for any individual record. It also does not mean every item is new, complete, or equally strong as evidence.

Open research questions

Which records are newly declassified, which are historical or previously known, which have companion reports or raw media, and which contain enough metadata for independent analysis?

Record pages in this release

Official record

DOW-UAP-D20: March 2023 report of 10-20 possible UAP

Mission report - Department of War / USCENTCOM

A verified guide to DOW-UAP-D20, the Release 01 mission report describing several bright objects and a targeting pod observation in March 2023.

Video records to examine next

Related briefing

Official sources