Pentagon Officially Releases Three UAP Videos

The Department of Defense formally released the three Navy infrared videos — FLIR1, Gimbal, and GoFast — to 'clear up any misconceptions' about whether they were real, confirming the videos showed 'unidentified aerial phenomena' and that no further investigation had identified the objects.

Date

April 27, 2020

Location

The PentagonVirginia🇺🇸

Type

Disclosure

Country

🇺🇸 United States

Map

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Source context

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Attached sources

Videos

Background

On April 27, 2020, the Department of Defense officially released three previously leaked infrared videos captured by US Navy pilots, confirming the objects remained 'unidentified.' Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough stated the release was to 'clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real.'

Die Videos

FLIR1 from the 2004 USS Nimitz encounter
Gimbal and GoFast from 2015 East Coast encounters

These videos had been circulating since December 2017 when the New York Times published them alongside its AATIP exposé.

Offizielle Bestätigungen

Navy confirmed authenticity in September 2019
Pentagon formal release in 2020 represented higher official acknowledgment

Timing und Kontext

The release occurred during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking speculation that the Pentagon aimed to minimize media attention.

Politische Auswirkungen

Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Mark Warner, both on the Intelligence Committee, cited the videos in advocating for the UAP Task Force, established by Congress four months later.

Historischer Bogen

The release marked the culmination of a three-year timeline:
- Leaked videos (2017)
- Navy acknowledgment (2019)
- Formal Pentagon release (2020)

This demonstrated how persistent public pressure compelled official transparency on a topic the military had avoided for decades.

Significance

The Pentagon release completed the official declassification arc that began with the 2017 NYT story. It directly catalyzed the creation of the UAP Task Force and demonstrated that sustained public and congressional pressure could force military transparency on the UAP issue.