govweird/archive
VID · DoWPURSUE Release 01

Department of War PURSUE File

DOW-UAP-PR36, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020

Middle East

Declassified

Government description

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and 17 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. An accompanying Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, described the UAP as a solid white object making erratic movements above the water. Video Description: 00:05: An area of contrast briefly enters the sensor field-of-view from the left side of the screen. 00:06-00:18: The sensor pans away from the scene’s initial subject matter while cycling contrast settings and zoom levels. 00:19: The area of contrast re-enters the sensor field-of-view from near the center of the top edge of the screen. 00:20-01:15: The area of contrast remains generally within the sensor field-of-view. 01:16: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 01:56: The sensor further narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 02:10: A blue reticle briefly appears on screen but does not acquire a lock on the area of contrast. 02:15-02:17: The sensor switches to a different modality and loses track of the area of contrast. This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.

Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.

Originating agency

Department of War

Record type

VID

Incident date

Unspecified

Incident location

Middle East

Release tranche

Release 01 (May 8, 2026)

Distribution

Cleared for public release

Released video

Video record. DVIDS asset ID: 1006083

Watch on the source site: war.gov/ufo

More from DoW

Source: war.gov/ufo · PURSUE Release 01

PURSUE = Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. Records released by the U.S. Department of War on May 8, 2026 are unresolved cases for which the government cannot make a definitive determination, and the Department has invited private-sector analysis.