Pentagon releases third batch of declassified UFO files with new orb sightings

The U.S. Department of Defense published a third tranche of declassified documents on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). The release includes 53 documents, 10 images, six videos and audio recordings gathered by the Pentagon, CIA, FBI, NASA and other agencies, with material dating back to 1949.

Among the new material are several recent eyewitness accounts of glowing “orbs” in the sky. One report describes a 2023 sighting near a sensitive security site where a luminous orange “mother orb” released smaller red orbs that moved horizontally before disappearing. Another 2025 account recounts a backyard encounter with a bright red sphere surrounded by a white plasma “sun.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the agency will continue to release further batches as public interest remains high, noting the release site has attracted over a billion visits worldwide.