Pentagon Drops Second Tranche of UFO Files — Intelligence Officer "Virtually Speechless"

On May 22, 2026, the U.S. Defense Department released its second batch of declassified UFO files under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) — an initiative ordered by President Trump. This wasn't another drip-feed of grainy photos and redacted memos. This was 51 videos, first-hand testimony from a senior intelligence officer, and a 116-page file documenting 209 sightings of "green orbs," "discs," and "fireballs" near Sandia Base, New Mexico, spanning 1948 to 1950.

The first batch, released on May 8, received over a billion website hits. The second batch may be even more explosive.

Among the most compelling releases is 2022 footage showing multiple spherical objects moving in and out of the water near a military submarine — officially categorized as a UAP by the Defense Department. The footage captures what researchers call USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects): objects transitioning seamlessly between air and water, behaviour no known human technology can replicate.

But it is the intelligence officer's testimony that pushes this beyond bureaucratic transparency into genuinely unsettling territory. While investigating UFO sightings in late 2025, the officer and his helicopter crew observed "countless orange orbs swarming in all directions against the backdrop of the mountain." Then two large, oval-shaped, orange orbs with white or yellow centers appeared close to their helicopter — stationary, just above the rotor disk, emitting light in all directions.

The officer's assessment? "We were virtually speechless."

The FBI's own notes, included in the release, show confusion about conflicting information and incomplete facts — fuelling the sense that pieces of the story were withheld or quietly buried.

Key Evidence

• 51 declassified videos, including infrared footage, submarine USO footage, and helicopter encounters
• First-hand testimony from a senior intelligence officer describing orbs hovering above his helicopter
• 116-page file on Sandia Base, New Mexico: 209 sightings of green orbs, discs, and fireballs (1948-1950)
• FBI notes showing internal confusion and missing pages in investigations
• Over 1 billion hits on the first batch's government website
• Released through official Pentagon portal war.gov/ufo

The Rational Explanation

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has consistently found no evidence of extraterrestrial origin for any UAP incidents. The most likely explanations include sensor artifacts, classified military technology (domestic or foreign), atmospheric phenomena, and misidentified conventional aircraft. The surge in releases may reflect political pressure rather than a genuine increase in anomalous activity.

What We Don't Know

Why would the FBI's own investigators note missing pages and conflicting information in their own files? Why does the submarine footage — captured by military-grade sensors — remain unexplained after AARO review? And perhaps most importantly: if these are all mundane phenomena, why has the US government kept them classified for 80 years?

The Rabbit Hole

The Sandia Base sightings (1948-1950) predate the famous 1947 Roswell incident and the establishment of Project Blue Book. The "green orbs" description echoes decades of witness testimony from military personnel. The helicopter encounter — with orbs hovering stationary at close range — mirrors a pattern of "close proximity" UAP incidents reported by Navy pilots since 2004. Is this a decades-long pattern of misidentification, or something else entirely?