PURSUE Tranche 2: Pentagon Releases 64 Files Including Senior Intel Officer 'Orbs' Account and Iranian UAP Footage

The U.S. Department of War published its second official PURSUE release on May 22, 2026, at war.gov/UFO — 14 days ahead of the originally anticipated ~June 7 window. The release contained 64 files: 51 videos, 6 PDFs, and 7 audio recordings. Key contents: **Senior Intelligence Officer Account (Late 2025):** A written account by a currently serving 'senior intelligence officer' describing a late-2025 helicopter mission during which he and his crew witnessed 'two large orbs flare up' — orange with a white/yellow center — in 'a series of close UAP encounters lasting over an hour' that left him 'virtually speechless.' The account is the first active-duty senior intelligence officer testimony included in an official disclosure release. **Iranian UAP Footage (2019/2022):** Video of four unidentified objects in formation near Iran, recorded by US military assets in October 2019. A separate clip shows four objects filmed near vessels off the Iranian coast in 2022. **Lake Huron Shoot-Down (Feb 12, 2023):** A US Air National Guard video of the object shot down over Lake Huron on February 12, 2023 — one of three objects shot down by F-22s in the days following the Chinese surveillance balloon incident. The object remains officially unidentified. **Transmedium Spherical Objects (March 2022):** Footage of spherical objects moving in and out of water near a US submarine — a 'transmedium' capability (air-water transition) that has been a focus of AARO investigation. **Apollo 12 Audio Debriefs:** Previously classified audio of Apollo 12 crew (Conrad, Bean, Gordon) describing flashes of light in the dark during their mission, consistent with the Aldrin account in the 2024 Apollo 11 debriefings released in Tranche 1. The release came just two days after the EO 90-day milestone (May 20) and directly addressed Congressional pressure from Rep. Luna and Rep. Burlison, who had reviewed 40+ videos and pushed for declassification. The official DoW press release: 'Department of War Publishes Second Release of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files on WAR.GOV/UFO.' EarthSky noted more than 50 of the files are videos. The Debrief had preview-reported the release as likely to focus on 'the most operationally significant' UAP encounters on record.