The Department of War issued a formal legal waiver on Sept. 14 authorizing disclosures of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena information to the PURSUE program, creating a structured pathway for UAP-related information sharing.
The waiver formalizes what had previously been handled through ad hoc briefings and informal channels, according to the department. The action carries significance for both government transparency and national security classification policy.
Congressional pressure on UAP disclosure has been bipartisan and intense over the past two years, with lawmakers in both chambers demanding greater transparency about what the government knows regarding unidentified aerial and anomalous phenomena encountered by military personnel.
The PURSUE program is designed to receive and analyze UAP-related reports. The legal waiver removes classification and nondisclosure barriers that had prevented some personnel from sharing information about encounters with anomalous phenomena, according to defense officials.
The Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in 2022 to serve as the central hub for UAP detection, analysis and reporting across the Department of War and the intelligence community. The office has briefed Congress and published public reports on UAP encounters.
The formal legal authorization represents a structural step beyond individual briefings, creating an institutionalized disclosure mechanism that persists regardless of changes in leadership or priorities, defense officials said.
The action responds to provisions in recent defense authorization legislation that directed the Pentagon to establish clear reporting pathways and whistleblower protections for personnel with knowledge of UAP-related programs.
National security transparency advocates have called the waiver a meaningful step, while noting that the scope of authorized disclosures and the classification status of specific information remain subjects of ongoing congressional oversight.