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According to Department of War records released under the PURSUE archive, email correspondence from March 2023 describes a civilian’s report of a large, blue, triangular object that hovered near a national security facility before moving in an erratic, “jerking” manner. The document, titled “DOW-UAP-D51, Email Correspondence, Pacific Time Zone, March 2023,” was made public on May 8, 2026, and details an eight-minute observation that prompted an internal classification review by the U.S. Department of War.
The document, an email chain between a civilian information disclosure analyst at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security and an Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) collections manager, centers on a request to declassify an Intelligence Information Report (IIR). The analyst sought to use an unclassified summary of the report in a product, noting that the full IIR was classified as SECRET//NOFORN. The AFOSI official responded that while the standard process for declassifying IIRs is “lengthy and requires AFOSI Commander signature,” they were exploring alternative options, such as a “security review of the UNCLASS summary.” The official later confirmed approval, stating, “I concur with using this at the UNCLASSIFIED level in your product. Consider your request approved.”
The unclassified summary provides the core details of the incident. The reported appearance describes “a large blue featureless triangular object with a solid, unwavering silhouette emitting powerful ‘whitish blue’ light from multiple points along its perimeter.” The reported behavior notes the object was “hovering” stationary above or near a national security facility for approximately three minutes. The reporter then observed it move to a higher position in their field of view, characterizing the motion as “backing up” in a “jerking” or “jumping” manner that was inconsistent with “smooth” jet propulsion. The total observation lasted approximately eight minutes.
Witness Observations and Document Context
The reporter, identified as a civilian who obtained the information via a personal cellular device, commented on several aspects of the object. They stated they could not discern whether or how the object was controlled, could not identify its means of propulsion, and could not determine whether it had a defined “front or rear.” The reporter also noted that they “didn’t think” the object was a drone. Additionally, they commented on behaviors and capabilities they did not directly observe, stating the object did not seem to travel along a defined flight path, possess any “photograph or data collection capabilities,” emit a “vapor trail,” or demonstrate “cloaking capabilities.” The official description of the document notes that “all descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event.” It further cautions that such characterizations “should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.”
The incident location is listed as the Pacific Time Zone, and the date is March 2023. The time of day is listed as night. The record’s official summary offers limited detail beyond the email correspondence itself, noting that the document is “email correspondence describing the content of a mission report and requesting clarification on its content.” The event summary in the document includes the location, date, time, duration, reporter type, and reported characteristics of the object, including its shape (triangular), color (blue), and behavior (emitting light, erratic movement). Altitude, speed, material, and markings are listed as not reported or featureless.
Per a Wikipedia summary of the United States UFO files, the release of these documents is part of a broader initiative. The Wikipedia entry on the “United States UFO files” notes that the collection is “a collection of declassified United States government records concerning UFOs, also called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), released by the administration of Donald Trump beginning on May 8, 2026, and announced to continue as repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.” This places the DOW-UAP-D51 document within a larger, ongoing disclosure effort by the U.S. government.
Unanswered Questions and Future Releases
The document raises several questions that remain unanswered. The specific national security facility referenced in the report is not named in the released email chain. The full IIR, which remains classified as SECRET//NOFORN, likely contains additional details about the incident, including the precise location, the identity of the civilian reporter, and any follow-up investigation. The document also does not specify what product the unclassified summary was intended for, or whether the object’s behavior was subsequently analyzed by any official body.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases, which, according to the Wikipedia summary, are expected to be “repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.” These future releases may include additional correspondence, full IIRs, or other records that could provide more context about this specific incident or similar UAP reports from the Pacific Time Zone. The Department of War’s PURSUE archive, accessible at war.gov, remains the authoritative source for these documents as they are made public.
