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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) submitted a report to the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of a single, redacted still image of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) captured by a U.S. military system in late 2025, according to records released by the U.S. Department of War.
The document, titled “FBI Photo B19,” was released on May 8, 2026, via the Department of War’s PURSUE archive. It describes an incident that occurred in the Western United States. The official record states that the original imagery was altered with redactions before being submitted to AARO. An accompanying mission report was not provided. The operator who captured the image reported that they were unable to positively identify the UAP. The document further notes that the date in the image is incorrect due to the system’s date and time not being set.
Document Details and Official Description
The official description provided by the FBI is sparse, offering limited detail beyond the circumstances of the submission. According to the record, the image is a monochrome photograph with a grainy texture and a central crosshair reticle. A small cluster of dark pixels, forming an object, is visible at the exact center of the reticle. The narrative description included in the release is explicitly caveated by the Department of War: it is provided for informational purposes only, and readers should not interpret any part of it as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.
The FBI document does not specify the type of military system that captured the original imagery, nor does it explain the nature of the redactions applied to the photo before it was forwarded to AARO. The absence of a mission report leaves a significant gap in the record, as no contextual information about the flight, the operator’s training, or the environmental conditions at the time of the sighting has been made public.
Context of the PURSUE Release
Per a Wikipedia summary of the United States UFO files, the release of “FBI Photo B19” is part of a broader declassification effort. The Wikipedia entry “United States UFO files” notes that these records, also referred to as the UFO files or the UAP files, are a collection of declassified United States government records concerning UFOs, also called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). The entry states that the releases began on May 8, 2026, under the administration of Donald Trump, and were announced to continue as repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.
The PURSUE archive, hosted at war.gov, is the designated platform for these disclosures. The release of “FBI Photo B19” on the same date the initiative was announced suggests it is one of the initial tranches of documents. The Wikipedia summary does not provide specific details about the contents of the FBI photo or the criteria used to select documents for declassification.
What Remains Unanswered
The “FBI Photo B19” record raises several questions that are not addressed by the available material. The official description does not explain why the FBI, rather than a military branch, submitted the image to AARO. It also does not clarify what the redactions conceal or why the mission report was withheld. The incorrect system date further complicates any attempt to correlate the sighting with known military activities or other UAP reports from late 2025.
The grainy image itself, described only as a cluster of dark pixels at the center of a reticle, provides no definitive visual evidence for analysis. Without the original, unredacted image or the accompanying mission report, independent verification of the operator’s claim that the object could not be positively identified is impossible.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases, which the Wikipedia entry indicates will be ongoing. Subsequent documents may provide additional context for this specific incident, such as the release of the missing mission report or a less heavily redacted version of the image. The Department of War has not announced a schedule for further disclosures, but the stated intention of repeated, expanding releases suggests that “FBI Photo B19” is likely not the last word on this particular case.
