PHOENIX, ARIZONA — President Donald Trump announced at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix on April 17, 2026, that the Department of Defense will soon release documents related to unidentified flying objects. "The first releases will begin very, very soon," Trump said.

In February 2026, Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other agency officials to begin reviewing and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life and unidentified aerial phenomena. Rep. Tim Burchett also urged the administration to release information on UFOs. "Thank you for keeping your word to me @realDonaldTrump," Burchett posted.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote a letter in March 2026 demanding that the Pentagon release 46 videos from its investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena by April 14, 2026. Luna said she is considering using subpoena authority if the Pentagon does not release the videos.

In November 2024, the Department of Defense said it received hundreds of reports on unidentified aerial phenomena following a congressional hearing, including 21 reports deemed worthy of further analysis due to anomalous characteristics or behaviors, according to a Pentagon statement. Defense Department officials said they did not find evidence to substantiate extraterrestrial life in any of the reports.

A March 2024 Pentagon report concluded that there was no credible evidence that U.S. authorities covered up findings of UFOs or unidentified aerial phenomena revealing extraterrestrial life, stating that most sightings were the result of misidentification of ordinary objects and phenomena.

In 2023, Congress enacted the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act. That same year, the Department of Defense created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena. A former president previously said he had not seen evidence of alien life while in the White House.