Pentagon seeks contract for largest private UAP archive

The Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is moving to secure a sole-source contract with the National Unidentified Flying Object Historic Records Center (NUFOHRC) ^[1].

The New Mexico-based nonprofit holds what a Defense Department source called the world's largest private collection of UAP-related historical records ^[1]. The proposed commercial subscription would give AARO digital access to proprietary data, metadata, and analytical products, specifically targeting materials from before 1990 ^[1].

This move follows congressional mandates in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires a comprehensive review of U.S. government UAP involvement dating back to 1945 ^[1]. The NUFOHRC collection, led by historian David Marler, includes hundreds of thousands of unique case files, the archives of early civilian scientific research groups, and the personal files of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a former Project Blue Book researcher ^[1].

While the Pentagon expands its historical research, recent operational reports show continued activity. AARO's Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Report disclosed a maritime encounter off the Virginia coast involving approximately 100 airborne UAP and two likely uncrewed surface systems ^[2].

That same report noted that AARO received 319 UAP reports between June 2, 2024 and May 30, 2025, resolving 114 of them as balloons, birds, satellites, aircraft, or other conventional objects ^[2]. As of May 30, 2025, the office's total case holdings reached 1,870 reports ^[2].

Parallel to these efforts, the Department of War's fourth PURSUE release on July 10, 2026, published new military videos and files dating to the 1940s ^[3]. These included imagery from the 1996 NASA STS-80 mission and reports from 2020 over the Atlantic Ocean and Western United States ^[3].

According to reporting by The Debrief, these released videos do not provide clear evidence of unknown aircraft or advanced technology, with several assessed as sensor artifacts or balloons ^[3].

UAP Governance and Science

To support government investigations, Harvard Professor Avi Loeb announced the formation of a UAP Science Advisory Council around June 17, 2026 ^[4]. The council consists of 12 researchers across biology, psychology, anthropology, and physical sciences ^[4].

This body reports to a new interagency UAP Governance Board co-established by the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the ODNI ^[4]. The board held its first meeting on June 16, 2026, following a February directive from President Donald Trump to identify and release government files on aliens and UFOs ^[4].

Public and International Protocols

Outside of government channels, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) ratified updated post-detection protocols in June 2026 ^[5]. Led by Professor Michael Garrett, these updates address AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes in the context of potential extraterrestrial intelligence discoveries ^[5].

Simultaneously, the uNHIdden Foundation released a public-health preparedness framework to address the societal impact of a disclosure event ^[5]. Founded by John Priestland, the framework was developed by healthcare practitioners to identify vulnerable populations and propose community resilience measures ^[5].

What we don't know

• What is the total estimated cost of the proposed AARO contract with NUFOHRC?
• Which specific files from the Hynek collection AARO intends to prioritize for its 1945-present review?
• How the UAP Science Advisory Council will verify the unclassified data it receives from the interagency Governance Board?