Navy says all UFO videos are classified, won’t be released

A watchdog group seeking access to unidentified flying object footage has been rejected with the unambiguous message that, due to heavy classification, none of the government’s media on UFOs will be released.

The Black Vault reported this week that starting in April 2020 it sought to acquire all "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" videos within the files of Naval Air Systems Command. Three such videos had already been leaked from government databases before being officially released by NAVAIR.

The division subsequently denied that request, citing no such videos in its possession. A request filed with the Office of Naval Intelligence was met with a similar response. 

A third request filed with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations was finally met with a comprehensive rejection, one that said "the requested videos contain sensitive information pertaining to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and are classified and are exempt from disclosure in their entirety."

The agency also said: "The release of this information will harm national security as it may provide adversaries valuable information regarding Department of Defense/Navy operations, vulnerabilities, and/or capabilities. No portions of the videos can be segregated for release."

The Black Vault noted that the CNO offered an uncharacteristically thorough explanation for its rejection in what may have been an attempt to head off an appeal. 

"While three UAP videos were released in the past, the facts specific to those three videos are unique in that those videos were initially released via unofficial channels before official release," the agency said, noting that "given the amount of information in the public domain regarding these encounters, it was possible to release the files without further damage to national security."

The Black Vault said it nevertheless "filed an appeal seeking the release of the videos denied."