ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Pentagon on Friday released the first batch of documentation related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life, coming after US President Donald Trump directed relevant authorities to release the files in February.

Trump in February said he had directed the release of government files related to alien life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) due to the “tremendous interest shown.”

“As for my promise to you, the Department of War [Defense] has released the first tranche of the UFO/UAP files to the public for their review and study…it was my honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

The files, which are gathered from the FBI, State Department, NASA, and the Pentagon, include among other things, videos, images, graphics depicting eyewitness reports, researcher accounts, and media coverage related to the cases.

“The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly. The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place – no clearance required,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.

There are accounts of flying saucers or discs, reports of a glowing orange orb resembling imagery from The Lord of the Rings, and a US military operator describing a UAP flying just above the ocean’s surface making multiple 90 degree turns at around 80 miles per hour.

One file, considered to be the most compelling, has multiple reports by government employees separately describing the same “orange orbs.”

In one case, three teams of federal law enforcement independently described “seeing orange ‘orbs’ in the sky emit/launch smaller red ‘orbs’.”

In another, two federal agents said they saw an orange orb “perched close to a rock pinnacle,” describing it as “similar to the Eye (of) Sauron from Lord of the Rings, except without the pupil.”

“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.

Interest in UFOs have increased in recent years with reported sightings of strange objects in the sky, sparking Washington worry that US adversaries may be testing highly advanced technology.

“At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.