The Pentagon Just Released Declassified UFO Files. Here Is What Is in Them — and Why the North Country Might Be Relevant.
More than 160 declassified UAP files are now publicly available at war.gov/UFO. No security clearance required. Here is what the records actually say — and a question for North Country residents.
The Pentagon released its first batch of declassified UAP files on Friday, May 8 — more than 160 documents, photos, and videos now publicly available at war.gov/UFO with no security clearance required.
The release is part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), directed by President Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it “the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.” Additional files will be released on a rolling basis every few weeks.
What Is in the Files
The older records are mostly written reports from Cold War-era military bases. But the more recent files are harder to dismiss.
Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 mission archives include photos showing unidentified objects over the lunar surface. A 2022 internal military memo from Iraq describes “one possible small UAP” observed during active operations. A 2024 encounter in Syria documented “multiple glares or light from an unknown origin.” A 2023 report from Greece describes an object making sharp 90-degree turns at high speed — a maneuver no known aircraft can perform. And infrared images from September 2025 show unidentified objects over the western United States that the government says have not yet been fully analyzed.
The Pentagon was careful to note that the reports reflect the “subjective interpretation” of those who filed them and should not be taken as conclusive evidence of anything.
No smoking gun. No confirmed extraterrestrial life. But a significant volume of incidents with no official explanation — now available for anyone to read.
The North Country Angle
The Adirondacks have long had a reputation among residents for unexplained aerial sightings — attributed variously to military aircraft from Plattsburgh, weather phenomena over the High Peaks, or something else entirely. The region’s dark skies, remote terrain, and proximity to former military installations make it one of the better places in the Northeast to observe whatever is up there.
The files cover reports submitted by civilians and military personnel from across the country since the 1940s. It is not known whether any originate from the North Country.
Have you ever seen something in the sky over the Tri-Lakes that you could not explain? File a report at trilakestownsquare.com. Anonymous. Your name or without it. Your choice.
The full archive is available at war.gov/UFO.