The U.S. Department of War made public a file titled “Western US Event” on May 8, 2026 under its PURSUE archive. The document compiles statements from seven federal government employees—specifically, special agents from U.S. law‑enforcement agencies—who independently reported anomalous aerial phenomena over a two‑day span in 2023. The record groups the sightings into four categories: “orbs launching other orbs,” a large stationary glowing orb, a “dark kite” near the ground, and a “transparent kite” also close to the surface.
Orbs that emitted smaller orbs
Three separate two‑person teams described observing orange‑colored orbs that briefly emitted clusters of smaller red orbs. Each orange “mother” orb was visible for only one to two seconds before vanishing, and the launch sequence occurred at least five times. The red orbs typically traveled horizontally away from the orange source in groups of two to four, most commonly three.
In a few instances a red orb angled upward, while another account noted a red orb swooping downward after launch. The teams were positioned at different locations, providing multiple viewpoints of the same phenomenon.
Large, hovering fiery object
Two agents reported a second type of encounter involving a glowing orange orb positioned near a rock pinnacle at an estimated distance of 500‑600 meters. The object’s size was likened to the cockpit of a small helicopter, though exact dimensions were not measurable on site.
One witness suggested a faint spindle‑like attachment beneath the orb, connecting it to the rock. The orb emitted no audible sound and was described as resembling “the Eye of Sauron… without the pupil” or an “orange Storm Electrify bowling ball.” It appeared to hover without resistance or motion for roughly one minute before disappearing. Subsequent analysis by the All‑domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) placed the object at about 1,050 meters away, estimating a diameter between 12 and 18 meters.
Pre‑dawn pursuit of a “dark kite”
During early morning hours, two agents encountered what they first thought was a vehicle traveling on a road within a restricted area. The “car” displayed two lights positioned two to three feet above the ground.
As the agents followed it within a few hundred feet, the object left the roadway, moving laterally over desert terrain at an estimated 15‑20 mph while maintaining its orientation. It halted roughly 100 meters from the road, extinguished its lights, and presented a thin, dark silhouette that one agent likened to an ill‑defined kite with rounded sides. Night‑vision footage captured a fleeting “very thin line” before the lights went out.
The object, estimated to be about four feet wide, appeared to rise slightly while remaining flat, then vanished from view after a few seconds. Later AARO discussions referred to the shape as triangular.
Subsequent sighting of a “transparent kite”
Approximately thirty minutes after the “dark kite” incident, a second team—joined by a third colleague—responded to a report of another unauthorized object in the same vicinity. Two agents observed a kite‑shaped form with a similar lighting pattern, hovering roughly six meters above the ground at a slight angle, appearing to drift slowly with the wind.
One agent used night‑vision equipment, another relied on unaided sight, while the third colleague did not see the object.
Context and significance
The Department of War record notes that, although no technical data (e.g., video or sensor logs) accompany the statements, the credibility of the witnesses, the consistency across multiple teams, and the similarity of these events to other reports in AARO’s database render the file among the most compelling in the agency’s current holdings. AARO, an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, investigates unidentified aerial phenomena; its first director was physicist Sean Kirkpatrick and its current director is Jon T. Kosloski.
The release does not resolve the nature of the observed objects, nor does it clarify whether a single orange orb produced all the red launches or multiple orange orbs were involved. The Department of War indicates that future PURSUE releases may provide additional documentation or technical data to further illuminate these 2023 encounters.
