The US Pentagon has been slammed for missing a strict deadline to release Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) videos, with critics calling it a ‘cover-up.’
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna penned a letter to the US Secretary of Defense on April 1, ordering Pete Hegseth to deliver 46 specific clips no later than April 14, 2026.
Lawmakers said the videos could reveal patterns of activity near sensitive military sites and help determine whether the objects pose a potential national security threat.
The requested footage includes dozens of military-recorded encounters showing spherical, cigar-shaped and Tic Tac-like objects spotted over war zones, oceans and sensitive airspace around the world.
Some clips reportedly captured UAP formations near Iran and Syria, incidents near US bases and airports and even a 2023 shootdown over Lake Huron.
The threats extend beyond mysterious sightings, highlighting the danger unidentified objects pose when they appear near restricted airspace, military bases and active training zones.
Luna, however, said Tuesday afternoon on X that ‘no one from the Pentagon had responded until we reached out, and it appears that someone did not pass the letter to the appropriate authorities.’
‘How convenient,’ the Florida representative added, noting that while she considers Hegseth a friend and supporter of President Donald Trump, ‘the president has authorized the release, so whoever is trying to be cute at the Pentagon can take a hike.’
Some clips reportedly captured UAP formations near Iran and Syria, incidents near US bases and airports and even a 2023 shootdown over Lake Huron (stock)
The announcement has been met with fury online, with many saying the world deserves to know the truth.
‘The American people want all this declassified. There’s zero reason for any of it to be kept secret,’ one user commented. ‘Zero valid reason other than to justify spending money on an annual budget for a bunch of rogue federal employees.’
Another user shared: ‘Yep, sounds like normal government protocol… “what letter? “’
Commenting on Luna’s statement that Trump had ordered the release, one user said: ‘Isn’t it amazing, how our government won’t listen to itself?
‘Or the will of the people? I’m sorry, I must’ve been mistaken when I was taught that this was the entire point of government in the first place.’
In February, Trump directed federal agencies, including the Pentagon, to begin identifying and releasing files related to UFOs, also known as UAPs, and potential extraterrestrial activity.
‘Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War… to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on February 19.
Luna has taken a prominent role in advocating for transparency regarding UAPs.
One of the videos requested was ‘Spherical UAP over AFG in and out of clouds’ captured in 2020. The footage was leaked by Investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp last year
She chairs a House Federal Secrets Task Force focused on investigating UAPs, declassifying federal records and protecting whistleblowers.
In the early April letter, she wrote: ‘The continued lack of transparency surrounding these anomalies and the potential national security threat they pose is troubling.’
She added that the Task Force held a hearing on September 9, 2025, to discuss those concerns.
‘Whistleblowers informed the Task Force that AARO possesses additional video records of potential UAP sightings,’ she wrote.
‘To continue its investigation, the Task Force requests certain video files related to UAP sightings.’
Anna Paulina Luna chairs a House Federal Secrets Task Force focused on investigating UAP, declassifying federal records and protecting whistleblowers
The requested footage reportedly shows spherical objects weaving through clouds, hovering over open water and repeatedly appearing near US warships and submarines.
Several clips were captured by fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and drones operating in regions such as the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and the East China Sea.
In multiple cases, more than one object was tracked moving at high speeds at the same time, raising concerns about possible coordinated activity near sensitive military operations.
One of the requests: ‘Spherical UAP over AFG in and out of clouds, 11/23/20,’ is a video reportedly showing a massive disc weaving in and out of cloud cover.
Investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, who leaked parts of the clip, said the footage was recorded by government personnel over the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in November 2020.
The object was spotted during a reconnaissance mission by a high-altitude Air Force platform.