3rd batch of Pentagon UAP files: Orbs and more

• The Pentagon released the 3rd installment of the so-called UAP files on June 12, 2026.
• There are six videos, 53 documents, 10 images and three audio files in this newest batch of files.
• Many of the images show artist’s concepts. There’s still no mention of physical evidence.

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Pentagon UAP files: Part 3

The Pentagon released a long-awaited 1st batch of declassified UAP/UFO materials on May 8, 2026. It released a 2nd batch on May 22. Now, the Pentagon has also released a 3rd batch of materials. It contains 72 files in all, including six videos, 53 documents, 10 images and three audio files.

There has been no mention of physical evidence across any of the three installments of declassified UAP files.

Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman, said in a statement:

Today, the Department of War is publishing the 3rd release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) … and the Department will release additional files on a rolling basis.

And as before, the released files can be found on the PURSUE website.

‘Flying discs’ and a ‘mother orb’

One of the interesting documents is a 1948 memorandum from the Commandant of the 5th Naval District. It cites a memorandum related to “flying discs” from the Chief of Naval Operations. The memorandum requests that naval stations report incidents to the nearest Air Force command and to the Naval District Intelligence Office.

It notes a “cycle of reappearance” of flying disks and claims that the “beginning of a new interval is imminent.” But it does not explain this “cycle.”

Another interesting and new document speaks of an orange “mother orb” releasing smaller red orbs near a near a sensitive national security site in the western U.S. in October 2023.

Jon Kosloski, current head of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), signed the document. It states that the case is still unresolved. And it says that “unrecognized technology” might account “for up to 40% of the phenomena associated with this incident.” That estimate is based in part on the elimination of competing hypotheses.

Many of the other documents are from the CIA and FBI. One is a supposed sighting of a UAP over Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe on July 2008. It was recorded via both radar and optical. At one point, the object was said to “hover” at an undetermined altitude with “beams” emanating from it.

The red “orbs”

One of the new videos – from July 2025 and featured at the top of this page – appears to show two bright reddish orbs moving behind trees. The report says:

In July 2025, at approximately 2100 local time in the northeastern United States, an eyewitness observed an intense bright light in their backyard as they parked their car upon returning home from work. The light was hovering approximately 25 feet off the ground, below a tree line near the center of their backyard, at an estimated distance of 90 feet. Eyewitness exited their vehicle briefly before retrieving their phone to record the event.

The spouse of the eyewitness came outside to assess the situation. Spouse also witnessed the light, describing it as a “brilliant red sphere” about one meter in diameter. The center of the red sphere appeared to be a white plasma “sun” about the size of a basketball. The orb slowly rose and moved to the left, and both eyewitnesses observed a 2nd, identical orb, hovering above the other orb.

The orb video is much like the other videos released so far in being interesting, but inconclusive. Plus, some of the videos are actually artistic recreations of described events.

Another video appears to show orbs over a pond in October 2024, again in the northeastern U.S.

Read more and watch the video.

NASA audio files

All three of the audio files in batch three are from NASA missions. The 1st is an interview with astronaut Gordon Cooper in November 1962. The 2nd and 3rd are from an Apollo 16 Scientific Debriefing.

Cooper is known for his reporting of seeing groups of silver metallic disks flying high above him when he was doing military flight training over Europe in 1951. Intriguingly, he claimed they were at extremely high altitudes (above his own 40,000 feet) and changed direction much faster than his jet could have.

This is, notably, a common description from the 1940s and 1950s. Cooper said they were in groups ranging from four to 16. He said they passed over his base for two to three days.

‘Alien star base’

Another audio recording is from a NASA meeting following the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. First, there is a brief mention of unusual gravity readings, laser measurements and unexplained anomalies detected on the moon’s far side. Then, one of the speakers mentions a “great big hole” near Van de Graaff crater in relation to gravity and laser data from the location. He says:

I will add that the gamma ray secondary peak is also [garbled], I don’t know what it means.

The next unexpected comment, at 32:41 in the audio, says:

It could be an alien star base or something. I don’t know. Anyway, the next slide shows the front side of the moon.

The clip is getting a lot of attention. But it sounds like it might have been just a casual remark or joke at the time. The speaker then quickly moves to the next topic. Could there be caves around the crater? Indeed, orbiting spacecraft have found other caves on the moon in recent years.

The 10 image files

The 10 image files, found here, are all from reported incidents in the western U.S. in 2023 and 2026. They are all artist’s recreations, however, instead of photos.

Response to Pentagon UAP files so far

So far, the Pentagon UAP files – released under the PURSUE initiative – have generated a mix of excitement, skepticism, and political debate. Because the files offer plenty of mystery but lack definitive proof of alien life, the public, scientific, and political reactions generally fall into a few distinct camps:

• Scientists and data-driven researchers have appeared to welcome the transparency. But they remain frustrated by the lack of context. Scientists like Avi Loeb, head of the Galileo Project, noted that the release brought the topic into mainstream scientific discussion and called the initiative fascinating. On the flip side, former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick criticized the “drip-feeding” of data, arguing that releasing files without rigorous scientific analysis or proper chain-of-custody context will only fuel “armchair pseudoscience” and conspiracy theories. Researchers also point out that many of the files are heavily redacted or represent unresolved cases that lack enough clean data to prove anything definitive.
• The public and UFO community have widely discussed the files on social media. The 2nd batch, in particular, captured public imagination due to a declassified report from a senior intelligence officer who described a 2025 helicopter encounter with “a swarm of glowing orange orbs” that left his crew “virtually speechless.” Audio of Apollo-era astronauts tracking anomalies like “fireflies” also triggered intense fascination. But many complained that the most compelling files are still heavily redacted and that the Pentagon continues to emphasize “unresolved” rather than “extraterrestrial,” offering no smoking-gun evidence of alien technology.
• In the political arena, critics including former U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed the releases as “shiny object propaganda,” suggesting the Trump administration was using the highly sensationalized UFO drops as a tactical distraction from other domestic and political challenges.

Much skepticism remains

A CBS News/YouGov poll – taken shortly after the 2nd release – said eight in 10 Americans still believe the government knows more about extraterrestrial life than it is letting on. So far, the Pentagon’s UAP files have done little to quiet the overall skepticism surrounding government disclosure.

Bottom line: The U.S. government has released its 3rd batch of Pentagon UAP files. Only a few videos this time, but over 50 documents.

Read more:

All the documents can be seen and downloaded here

All the videos can be seen and downloaded here

The image files can be seen and downloaded here

The audio files can be seen and downloaded here

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