A newly released Department of War document, made public under the Pentagon’s PURSE transparency program, provides an unfiltered look at a night‑time ISR mission in the Middle East that encountered an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP). The report, catalogued as DoW‑UAP‑PR36, focuses on a single “solid white” object that behaved erratically above water in May 2020.
The source material is a Range Fouler Debrief Form dated 14 May 2020. In the crew’s own words, while conducting an ISR tasking identified as “ULTN/Black Hot/Lin,” a solid white object entered the field of view. The acronyms denote a specific sensor mode (ULTN) and an infrared setting (Black Hot/Lin) that normally renders hot targets as black against a cooler background.
The object’s white appearance therefore suggested an atypical thermal signature. According to the debrief, the crew initially lost visual contact with the object, then reacquired it.
The sensor operator is recorded as having “continuously manipulating the sensor to maintain eyes on the object,” indicating sustained manual effort to keep the unpredictable target in frame. The form notes that the object “appeared to make erratic moments above the water,” preserving the original typographical error (“moments” instead of “movements”). The encounter lasted two minutes and 17 seconds—the exact length of infrared video footage submitted to the All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) by United States Central Command. The video originates from an infrared sensor mounted on an undisclosed U.S. military platform, likely airborne given the ISR context.
Beyond the brief description, the report contains no shape analysis, speed estimate, or definitive identification. It is labeled “unresolved,” reflecting the absence of a conclusive explanation.
The document’s title, DoW‑UAP‑D38, mirrors this status, and no follow‑up analysis accompanies the filing. PURSE, the Pentagon’s initiative aimed at increasing openness around UAP incidents, published the declassified form on 8 May 2026. While the acronym’s full meaning remains classified, the program’s purpose is to make raw incident data available to the public.
This release therefore adds a small but tangible piece to the broader, ongoing effort to catalog unexplained aerial observations. The debrief form’s language is stark and technical, lacking the polish of a press release.
It captures the pressure of the moment: a crew member typing quickly in low light, documenting an anomalous sighting with the same gaps, typos, and uncertainties present in the original entry. In summary, the Department of War’s newly disclosed form documents a night‑time infrared ISR mission that observed a solid white object moving in an unconventional manner above water in the Middle East. The crew’s effort to track the object, the brief loss and reacquisition, and the absence of any definitive identification are all recorded verbatim.
The government’s stance, as reflected in the report, is one of transparency rather than speculation: it presents the observed facts, acknowledges the uncertainties, and leaves the interpretation open.
