Trump Orders Declassification of Government UFO and UAP Files
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Donald Trump announced a directive to release government files on UFOs and UAPs, furthering a trend of increased federal transparency on the subject.
Key Takeaways
- •Announced a directive on February 20, 2026, to declassify government files on UFOs and UAPs.
- •Follows a trend of increased U.S. government transparency, including the 2021 ODNI report on 144 incidents.
- •Builds on legislative actions that established formal investigative bodies like the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
- •The directive was communicated via social media and is not a formal, numbered executive order.
On February 20, 2026, former President Donald Trump announced a directive to begin declassifying government files related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), a move that signals continued high-level political interest in a topic of significant public and defense-related curiosity. The announcement, made via a social media post, coincides with unverified reports from the original source article of a secret Air Force jet operating near Area 51, a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Nevada.
The directive aims to release information on what are more popularly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), along with files concerning potential extraterrestrial life. This action aligns with a broader trend of increased U.S. government transparency regarding UAP encounters, which have been documented by military personnel for decades. While the spotting of a specific aircraft near Area 51, officially known as Homey Airport (KXTA) or Groom Lake, has not been independently confirmed, the location has long been central to public speculation due to its history of testing experimental aircraft. The CIA officially established the site in 1955 to test the Lockheed U-2 spy plane.
In his statement, Trump directed the "Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."
Historical Context of U.S. Investigations
The U.S. government's relationship with the phenomena has evolved significantly over the past 75 years. The USAF's Project Blue Book, which ran from 1947 to 1969, was the most famous early effort to catalog and investigate sightings. According to the National Archives, the project investigated 12,618 reported UFO sightings, of which 701 remained classified as 'Unidentified' upon its conclusion.
After decades of official silence, interest was renewed with the public disclosure of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that AATIP was funded with $22 million between 2007 and 2012 to study UAP reports. This was succeeded by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) in 2020, which was established to standardize the collection and reporting of sightings, primarily from U.S. military aviators.
These efforts culminated in the establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022. AARO is the current office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense tasked with investigating UAPs across air, sea, space, and land domains.
The Shift to UAP and Legislative Action
A key development in recent years has been the deliberate shift in official terminology from UFO to UAP. The term UAP, initially meaning 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,' was updated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 to 'Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena' to encompass submerged and trans-medium objects. Officials have stated this change is intended to destigmatize the topic and encourage more reporting from military and civilian pilots.
This legislative action followed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which mandated a comprehensive report on the subject. This led to the landmark publication of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) assessment in June 2021. The preliminary ODNI report analyzed 144 UAP reports from U.S. government sources between 2004 and 2021. At the time of publication, 143 of these cases remained unexplained, highlighting significant gaps in data and understanding.
Trump's directive on February 20 was a public statement on a social media platform and not a formal, numbered executive order. Its implementation will depend on the actions of various federal agencies that hold classified records on the subject.
Why This Matters
This directive adds significant political momentum to the ongoing public and congressional push for greater disclosure on UAP. For the aerospace and defense sectors, a formal declassification process could reveal new data on advanced aerial technologies or atmospheric phenomena that pose potential flight safety or national security risks. The move continues the U.S. government's gradual shift from decades of official denial to a more open, analytical approach to a persistent and unexplained phenomenon.
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Written by Ujjwal Sukhwani
Aviation News Editor & Industry Analyst delivering clear coverage for a worldwide audience. Covers flight operations, safety regulations, and market trends with expert analysis.
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