The Pentagon on Friday released a second helping of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) videos and documents, answering roughly zero questions about extraterrestrial life but proving once again that the government knows how to drive web traffic. The first tranche of 162 files, dropped earlier this month, racked up over a billion hits on the official government site - a ratings win the White House probably didn't see coming but is happy to take.
Friday's release adds 50 more videos and documents, including first-hand testimony from civilians and military members, stretching back decades. Highlights include a 2019 infrared clip from the Middle East showing three UAP flying in formation over the Persian Gulf, a 2022 video of four unidentified objects zipping past vessels off Iran, and a 2021 clip over Syria featuring an object that accelerates with the kind of warp-speed energy usually reserved for sci-fi franchises. One October 2022 video, location redacted, shows a cigar-shaped thing racing over what looks like a residential area - because why not add a dash of classic UFO iconography?
The Pentagon's all-domain anomaly resolution office (AARO) still insists it has no evidence any of this is alien. None of the videos come with explanations, and the defense department notes that many materials "lack a substantiated chain-of-custody." In other words, take it with a grain of space dust.
Still, the release is sure to fuel the conspiracy theories that have been a beloved American pastime for generations. Donald Trump ordered the files released in February, citing "tremendous interest," though he admitted he doesn't personally know if aliens exist. Polling shows most Americans think they do, and half believe they've visited Earth - so the audience is ready.
The new batch also includes NASA recordings of astronauts describing mysterious objects and bright lights. One clip features Wally Schirra, on Mercury-Atlas 8 in 1962, telling mission control about "little white objects" drifting from the capsule and a burst of light in the window. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, on his YouTube channel StarTalk, called it "a little misleading" to lump NASA files in with Pentagon UAP docs, noting the astronaut sightings have rational explanations and were never classified. "In the history of science," Tyson said, "the correct explanation has never been magic, or aliens, ever." He added he's waiting for an alien to walk out - and then he'll be good.
The Pentagon says a third release is coming "in the near future." Stay tuned for more videos that answer nothing but keep everyone clicking.