The Department of War has declassified a report from 2013 documenting an unresolved Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) encounter in the Middle East. The document, released under the PURSUE policy framework, was processed by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in coordination with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The report does not identify the specific platform involved but notes that the incident occurred during a routine military operation in the region.
According to the declassified file, the UAP was detected by a sensor on an unspecified aircraft. The sensor recorded the object exhibiting flight characteristics beyond known conventional systems, including rapid acceleration and sustained high-speed travel without visible propulsion. The report states that the object was tracked for approximately 90 seconds before it departed the sensor’s range. No communication or electronic emissions were detected from the object.
The filename of the release, “dow-uap-pr38-unresolved-uap-report-middle-east-2013,” indicates it is part of a series of UAP reports designated PR38. The Department of War has not disclosed how many reports are in this series or whether similar incidents occurred in the same region. The report does not attribute the UAP to any foreign adversary or natural phenomenon, and it remains classified as “unresolved.”
The release is part of a broader effort by the Department of War to increase transparency regarding UAP encounters. Under the PURSUE policy, the department has committed to declassifying historical UAP reports that do not compromise national security. AARO, established in 2022, is responsible for coordinating the collection and analysis of UAP data across the Department of Defense and other agencies.
The report does not include video footage or additional sensor data, though it references a separate data file that has not been released. AARO officials have stated that they will continue to review the incident and may request additional data from the original operating unit. The office can also interview operators and analysts who were involved in the encounter to gather more details.
Moving forward, AARO is expected to release additional declassified reports as part of its ongoing transparency initiative. The office has emphasized that its goal is to provide factual information without speculation. The 2013 Middle East report is now available on the Department of War’s public UAP repository.
