On June 12, 2026, the Department of War published the third tranche of declassified UAP records under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known as PURSUE. The release adds 72 new files to the archive, bringing the total across all three tranches to 294 records. For the first time, the Central Intelligence Agency contributed records to the initiative, marking a significant expansion of interagency participation.
The release was announced by Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, who noted that WAR.GOV/UFO has received over 1.7 billion hits worldwide since the portal launched on May 8, 2026. "The Department of War and our agency partners are actively working on the next release of UAP files," Parnell said.
CIA Joins PURSUE
Release 03 marks the CIA's first contribution to the PURSUE archive with 18 historical records spanning the Cold War era. Among the most significant is correspondence from the 1952-1953 Scientific Advisory Panel, commonly known as the Robertson Panel, which was convened to assess the national security implications of UFO sightings. The CIA records also include Cold War reporting on UFO phenomena observed overseas, providing a window into how the intelligence community tracked unexplained aerial activity during that period.
One notable record is CIA-UAP-017, a July 2008 report documenting a UFO sighting at Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe. According to the document, witnesses at the airport reported an unidentified object that prompted debate among observers about whether it represented foreign reconnaissance technology or something of unknown origin. The report has never before been released to the public.
New FBI Orb Sightings
The FBI contributed 29 files in Release 03, solidifying its position as the second-largest contributor to the PURSUE archive after the Department of War. Two new video records stand out for their visual documentation of UAP activity.
FBI-UAP-PR003, dated October 2024 and titled "Orbs Over the Pond," shows a plasma-like sphere hovering above a pond at an undisclosed location. The object is described as changing in shape and brightness as it moved, behavior consistent with other plasma-based UAP reports in the archive.
FBI-UAP-PR004 documents a July 2025 sighting in the northeastern United States in which an intense bright light was observed hovering approximately 25 feet above the ground at a private residence. The video captured by the witness shows a luminous object that remained stationary for an extended period before changing altitude and disappearing.
In addition to the video files, the FBI included multiple FD-302 witness interview forms documenting encounters reported to the bureau. One particularly significant file describes a senior U.S. intelligence official who reported a firsthand UAP encounter at a military facility in late 2025. The official described a super-hot orb hovering above the ground after a helicopter search, with subsequent tracking showing the object traveling approximately 20 miles at speeds exceeding the helicopter's ability to pursue.
Colorado Springs Multi-Agency Investigation
Release 03 includes a rare multi-agency case package centered on a 2022 incident near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The set includes an FBI FD-1057 narrative report and FD-302 witness interview, a digital rendering of the observed phenomenon, and an Intelligence Community partner analysis prepared for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. This cross-agency collaboration on a single incident illustrates the evolving interagency approach to UAP documentation.
Historical Records and Apollo Investigation
The Department of War contributed 12 files in Release 03, including DOW-UAP-D084, a 1949 U.S. Army Evaluation Study of the flying saucer phenomenon. Prepared for the Plans and Operations Division of the General Staff, the document represents one of the earliest official military efforts to determine whether reported sightings could be attributed to natural phenomena or foreign power activity.
NASA contributed 11 files, including Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 lunar photographs. Notably, the Department of War has opened an active case to investigate an Apollo 17 photograph showing three dots in a triangular formation in the lunar sky. This marks the first time the U.S. government has acknowledged an ongoing investigation into decades-old NASA imagery for potential UAP evidence.
Significance of Release 03
The third tranche establishes a clear cadence for the PURSUE program, with releases following approximately every two to three weeks since the May 8 launch. The inclusion of CIA records signals that the interagency coordination called for in President Trump's February directive is expanding beyond the initial core participants.
The FBI has emerged as a major contributor, with 29 files in this release alone. The bureau records include not only historical case files but also contemporary witness reports and video evidence from 2024 and 2025, demonstrating that UAP reporting to federal law enforcement continues to the present day.
With 294 records now released across three tranches, the PURSUE archive represents the largest coordinated multi-agency disclosure of UAP-related records in U.S. history. The Department of War has committed to continued rolling releases, and additional agency participation is expected in future tranches.