govweird/archive
VID · DoWPURSUE Release 01

Department of War PURSUE File

DOW-UAP-PR40, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

Arabian Gulf

Declassified

Government description

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and three seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The original reporter digitally altered the imagery by pausing the video playback and adding a white line encircling an area of interest at timestamp 00:10, annotated with the phrase “U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE.” AARO did not edit the originally reported material, and this media is presented as received. Video Description: 00:00-00:09: An area of contrast brightens within the sensor field-of-view, becoming increasingly distinct against the background. 00:10-00:14: Playback pauses to display a white line encircling an area of interest, annotated with the phrase “U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE.” 00:15-01:03: Playback resumes, with the sensor panning to track the area of contrast against the background, generally maintaining the area of contrast’s position within the top third of the display area. During this period, the sensor cycles through several contrast and zoom settings. 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

Arabian Gulf

Release tranche

Release 01 (May 8, 2026)

Distribution

Cleared for public release

Released video

Video record. DVIDS asset ID: 1006093

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.