Department of WarVideoTier 1 · Primary sensor/visual recordPartially redacted
"21 AUG [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP in Persian Gulf"
UFOP-186 · Release 02 (5/22)
Agency
Department of War
Document type
Video
Location
CENTCOM (CENTCOM/Middle East)
Incident date
2020
Release
Release 02 (5/22)
Evidence tier
Tier 1 · Primary sensor/visual record
What the document says
On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “21 AUG 2020 [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP in Persian Gulf,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility in 2020. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in August 2020.
Video Duration: 00:04:48
Video Description:
00:00-03:07: No content.
03:08-03:10: The sensor zooms out. An area of contrast transits from the top of the screen to the bottom, exiting the frame.
03:11-03:48: The sensor zooms out and back in. The sensor pans to track the area of contrast.
03:49-04:48: The area of contrast becomes indistinguishable from the grain of the video and the sensor zooms out.
This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.
Context
This is one of 143 Department of War records in the declassified archive, reported in the CENTCOM/Middle East region. It was published in Release 02 (5/22).
Evidence tiers describe the type of record (sensor capture vs. written report vs.
administrative file) · not a claim about its conclusions. UFO Papers reports only what the documents state.