By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 26, 2026 – The Department of War on Friday released its seventh collection of declassified and historical files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, expanding a federal disclosure effort with particular relevance to Alaska, where military encounters with unidentified airborne objects have raised questions about airspace security.
The Oct. 23 release is part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known as PURSUE. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell (no relation to the former governor) said additional files will be released on a rolling basis and that work on the next collection is already underway.
The records are available through the department’s public UFO archive. The disclosure program began May 8 under President Donald Trump’s directive to identify, review, and release government records concerning UAP.
Initial reporting on Friday’s release explains records concerning a black triangular object reported by federal agents near a secure US facility, historical sightings, and contractor documents associated with earlier government research.
Other materials concern paranormal activity at Utah’s Skinwalker Ranch and coordination between NASA and the Pentagon over suspected spacecraft fragments.
One of Alaska’s most consequential recent unidentified-object incidents occurred Feb. 10, 2023, when a US Air Force F-22 shot down an airborne object off the state’s northern coast.
Alaska again at center of mystery as Pentagon releases UFO files and videos
According to the Pentagon’s contemporary account, NORAD first detected the object on ground radar Feb. 9 and sent aircraft to investigate. It was flying at approximately 40,000 feet, presenting a potential hazard to civilian aviation. The military intercepted it within US sovereign airspace over territorial waters.
The recovery effort provided no publicly announced identification. On Feb. 17, Northern Command said search activities near Deadhorse had found no debris and recommended concluding the operation.
A separate object also passed through Alaska before being shot down over Canada’s Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. The Pentagon said NORAD detected that object over Alaska late the previous evening and tracked it as it entered Canadian airspace.
Those incidents give Alaska a direct stake in the continuing records releases. Radar tracks, pilot observations, sensor recordings, and identification assessments could help explain what prompted the engagements and what officials were able to determine afterward.
Alaska’s documented UFO history also includes the Nov. 17, 1986, encounter reported by the crew of Japan Air Lines Flight 1628.
The cargo aircraft was traveling from Iceland toward Anchorage when its crew reported unidentified objects over Alaska. The FAA subsequently released records from its review, stating that it was unable to confirm the reported event. The agency examined the incident because of its responsibility for air traffic safety. That case predates PURSUE by nearly four decades.
The broader Pacific also figures prominently in military UAP history. The well-known November 2004 USS Nimitz encounter occurred in the Southern California offshore training area, where Navy aviators were dispatched to investigate unusual contacts.
For Alaska, the continuing disclosure effort offers an opportunity to examine how the government detects, investigates, and responds to unidentified objects along the northern approaches to North America.
