View original document (0.6 MB) PDF viewer unavailable in this browser. Download the PDF to view. A newly declassified U.S. military mission report describes a U.S. operator observing a diamond-shaped Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) over the Mediterranean Sea in January 2024, estimating its speed at approximately 434 knots (499 mph). The document, titled “DOW-UAP-D25, Mission Report, Greece, January 2024,” was released by the U.S. Department of War under its PURSUE archive on May 8, 2026.
According to the Department of War’s official summary of the record, a U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP during an event lasting approximately two minutes. The observer described the object as diamond-shaped, with a non-maneuvering probe at the bottom.
The summary notes that the UAP was only visible when viewed via an onboard Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) sensor. The Department of War emphasizes that all descriptive and estimative language in the report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event and should not be interpreted as conclusive evidence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
Document Details and Operational Context
The primary source document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form used by the U.S. military to record operational circumstances. The Department of War notes that U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report UAP to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The document was originally classified as SECRET and releasable to the United States and the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence alliance.
It was declassified on October 24, 2025, by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff.
The mission report itself, heavily redacted, provides further operational context. The incident date is listed as January 25, 2024, and the location as the Mediterranean Sea. The document indicates the mission was an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operation conducted by the 33rd Special Operations Squadron (33 SOS), assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) and the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
The aircraft was equipped with an AN/DAS-4 targeting pod and LINK 16 data link. The narrative section of the report, largely redacted, mentions the operator observed an “UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENON” at 0509Z.
The report also notes that full motion video (FMV) was exploited, though the specific results of that exploitation are not detailed in the released portions.
Institutional Context and the AARO
The Department of War document explicitly states that MISREPs are often used to report UAP to AARO. Per a Wikipedia summary of the office, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office is an office within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense that investigates unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other phenomena in the air, sea, and/or space and/or on land. Wikipedia notes that AARO’s first director was physicist Sean Kirkpatrick, who reported to then deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks, and that its current director is Jon T.
Kosloski. The release of this document under the PURSUE archive aligns with the Department of War’s stated efforts to increase transparency regarding UAP incidents.
The document’s release comes amid ongoing public and governmental interest in UAP. While the report provides specific details about the sighting’s duration, the object’s shape, and its estimated speed, the Department of War’s summary cautions that these descriptions are subjective. The heavy redactions in the mission report, including the specific aircraft callsign, operator identity, and precise coordinates, leave significant gaps in the public record regarding the full circumstances of the encounter.
What remains unanswered includes the specific nature of the “non-maneuvering probe” observed on the object, the results of the FMV exploitation mentioned in the report, and whether AARO has issued any analysis or conclusion regarding this specific incident. Readers should watch for future PURSUE archive releases, which may include additional documentation, such as the exploited full motion video or subsequent analytical reports from AARO, that could provide further clarity on this and other reported encounters.
