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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) submitted a report to the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of a single, redacted still image of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) captured by a U.S. military system in late 2025, according to records released under a new government transparency initiative.
Document Details and Official Description
The document, titled “FBI Photo B23,” was released on May 8, 2026, by the U.S. Department of War as part of the PURSUE archive, accessible at war.gov. According to the official description accompanying the release, the FBI submitted the image to AARO, but the original imagery was altered with redactions before being forwarded. Furthermore, an accompanying mission report was not provided. The operator who captured the image reported that they were unable to positively identify the UAP. The official description also notes that the date in the image is incorrect because the system’s date/time was not set.
The official narrative description of the monochrome image states it displays a grainy texture with a simplified central crosshair. A single dark, elongated object is visible near the edge of the reticle, to the right of center. The record’s official summary offers limited detail beyond this, explicitly stating that the narrative description is provided for informational purposes only. The government document cautions that 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.
The incident is listed as having occurred in the Western United States in late 2025. The document text excerpt provided from the first pages of the file is minimal, containing only a dash symbol, suggesting the bulk of the substantive reporting remains classified or was not included in the release.
Broader Context of the PURSUE Archive
The release of “FBI Photo B23” is part of a larger, ongoing effort to declassify government records related to UAPs. Per a Wikipedia summary of the United States UFO files, the collection of declassified records, also referred to as the UFO files or the UAP files, was released by the administration of Donald Trump beginning on May 8, 2026. The Wikipedia entry notes that the releases are announced to continue as repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.
The involvement of the FBI in submitting a report to AARO places this document within the official government framework for investigating UAPs. AARO was established by the Department of Defense to standardize the collection and analysis of UAP reports across the U.S. government. The FBI’s submission of a military-sourced image suggests a cross-agency flow of information, though the lack of a mission report and the presence of redactions leave significant gaps in the public record.
The fact that the image was derived from a U.S. military system, but the operator could not identify the object, underscores the core mystery that drives these investigations. The official description’s emphasis on the incorrect system date highlights a common technical issue that can complicate the analysis of such sightings.
What Remains Unanswered
The “FBI Photo B23” document raises more questions than it answers. The absence of a mission report means there is no official narrative from the operator or unit involved. The nature and extent of the redactions applied to the original imagery are unknown, leaving the public to wonder what information was deemed too sensitive to release. The identity of the object—whether a known aircraft, a natural phenomenon, or something else—remains officially unidentified.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases, which the Wikipedia summary indicates will be ongoing. Subsequent documents may provide additional context for this specific image, such as the original, unredacted version or the missing mission report. The PURSUE archive represents a significant shift in government transparency on this topic, but as this file demonstrates, the released records often contain only fragments of the full story.
