View original document (3.5 MB) PDF viewer unavailable in this browser. Download the PDF to view. According to the Department of War document, titled ‘DOW-UAP-D18, Mission Report, Iraq, December 2022’, a U.S. military operator reported observing one “possible UAP” flying from west to east on December 1, 2022, in Iraq. The observer did not pursue the UAP.
This incident is documented in a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form used by the U.S. Military to record the circumstances surrounding its operations, particularly for reporting Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The Department of War document provides a detailed account of the mission, including the timeline of events, aircraft information, and sensor data.
The mission took off from OKAS at 1206Z on December 1, 2022, and landed back at OKAS at 0723Z on December 2, 2022, with a total mission time of 19 hours and 17 minutes. During this time, the aircraft collected SIGINT via AIRHANDLER and supported TILTI operations over Baghdad, Iraq. The observer reported seeing the possible UAP at 1620Z, but did not provide further details on its characteristics or behavior.
Context and Classification
The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on October 8, 2025, and released to the public on May 8, 2026, under the PURSUE archive. The report is classified as a MISREP, with associated caveats and exemptions, including FOIA exemptions (b)(6) and (b)(3).
The mission was part of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, with the 482ATKS unit and 20FW wing involved. The report also mentions the use of FMV sensors and the exploitation of data by DGS-AR.
Per Wikipedia’s entry on “Unidentified flying object”, a UAP is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. Most UAPs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained. The term UAP is also used interchangeably with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
The Wikipedia entry notes that the term was coined by the United States Air Force (USAF) to describe a broad range of shapes reported during investigations into flying saucers. The Department of War document, titled ‘DOW-UAP-D18, Mission Report, Iraq, December 2022’, provides a factual account of the incident, without speculating on the nature or origin of the possible UAP.
The report’s official summary offers limited detail beyond the observation of the UAP, and the lack of pursuit by the observer. The document’s release under the PURSUE archive provides a glimpse into the U.S. military’s reporting and classification procedures for UAP incidents. What remains unanswered is the nature and origin of the possible UAP observed by the U.S. military operator.
The report does not provide further details on the characteristics or behavior of the UAP, and the observer’s decision not to pursue the UAP raises questions about the protocols and procedures in place for responding to such incidents. Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases, which may provide additional information on UAP incidents and the U.S. military’s response to these phenomena.
As more documents are declassified and released, the public may gain a better understanding of the UAP phenomenon and the efforts of the U.S. military to investigate and resolve these incidents.
