Pentagon files: unexplained lights, but no evidence of alien technology
The Pentagon released the sixth batch of its UFO files on September 18. The records contain detailed accounts by federal agents of orbs of light seen in the American West. For part of one case, investigators found no explanation, but there is no evidence in the material pointing to an extraterrestrial origin.
The Pentagon released the sixth batch of its UFO-related records on September 18, 2026, under its disclosure program called PURSUE. The 155,000 pages widely mentioned in recent weeks do not come from this release. They were compiled by The New York Times from records from seven countries. Donald Trump encouraged the public to examine the records themselves and draw their own conclusions.
What do we know, and what don't we?
The records include unusually detailed witness accounts. In one case, the Pentagon's investigative office found no plausible explanation for roughly 40 percent of the reported phenomena. What the lights actually were is not known. The documents do not establish an extraterrestrial origin in any of the cases.
A chase with headlights off
One of the central stories is recorded in a memorandum dated June 2, 2026. According to it, in October 2023 two federal agents were investigating suspected drone activity near a sensitive site. First they saw lights resembling vehicle headlights. They turned off their own lights and headed toward the lights, and using night vision they followed a whitish-orange orb with a halo. By the witness's estimate, they got within about 45 meters (50 yards) of it when the light abruptly changed direction. It later reappeared as a box-shaped arrangement of orange and purple lights, and covered about 6.4 kilometers (four miles) of rugged terrain in roughly one minute. The agent compared the movement to the flying car in the Harry Potter books. The comparison shows how unusual the experience was; it says nothing about the nature of the phenomenon.
Orbs launching orbs
Another summary records observations made by six agents over two days. According to their accounts, smaller red lights separated from larger orange ones, sometimes in coordinated formation. The case was investigated by the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO): it reviewed flight records, radar information and the witness statements. According to the June 2026 assessment, about 60 percent of the reported activity was probably caused by infrared flares from military aircraft. The initial analysis offered no explanation for the remaining 40 percent. AARO classified the case as unresolved and did not speak of alien technology.
Details that call for caution
The agents' distance and speed figures are estimates, not instrument measurements. For that reason, the seemingly extraordinary speed and distance figures should also be treated with caution. Some of the illustrations attached to the statements were made with artificial intelligence, more than two years after the sightings, based on the descriptions. These are reconstructions, not recordings of the phenomenon.
The batch also contains historical material. At a February 16, 1949, meeting in Los Alamos, scientists including physicist Edward Teller discussed the green fireballs seen over New Mexico. According to the records, they considered possible explanations and did not establish an extraterrestrial origin.
Controversy over the advisory council
A livelier debate than the records themselves surrounds the UAP Science Advisory Council, established under Trump's disclosure initiative. The council provides scientific advice and does not take over AARO's investigative role. It is chaired by Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist. Loeb has previously suggested that ʻOumuamua, an object of interstellar origin observed in 2017, may have been artificial. This theory is contested, and the Pentagon records do not support it.
The council's members also include retired Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet and Garry Nolan, a Stanford pathology professor. The critical voice is Michael Shermer, the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine. In his view, blurry images and incomplete observations cannot establish what caused a sighting. Shermer and Loeb have made a $1,000 bet on whether the existence of extraterrestrial life or technology will be confirmed by the end of 2030. Shermer told The New York Times: "I hope he wins."
The council also faces criticism from outside. Sean Kirkpatrick, the former director of AARO, has criticized it as well. His office's 2024 historical review found no verified evidence that the US government possesses or reverse-engineers extraterrestrial technology. Former intelligence official David Grusch spoke before Congress in July 2023 about alleged secret recovery programs. These claims are separate from the files now released.
The decisive question: the raw data
Another open question is whether the council has access to classified evidence. Without original sensor data or other independently verifiable material, even the most detailed witness statements offer only competing explanations.
The sober take
According to AARO's June 2026 assessment, a plausible explanation for roughly 60 percent of the activity reported in the case is that military aircraft deployed infrared flares. For the remaining 40 percent, the initial analysis found no plausible explanation. The office therefore classified the case as unresolved, but did not identify alien technology. The witnesses' distance and speed figures are estimates, not instrument measurements, so they must be treated with caution when assessing the unexplained portion as well.