Pentagon planted UFO myths to hide secret weapons programs, report finds
A 2024 Pentagon review found the U.S. military spread fake UFO stories to conceal Cold War weapons testing
An Air Force colonel admitted planting false flying saucer photos near Area 51 to hide stealth jet development
AARO investigators uncovered decades of military disinformation that fueled popular alien conspiracy theories
LOS ANGELES - In the shadow of the Cold War, while America raced to outpace the Soviet Union in military innovation, the Pentagon turned to an unexpected tactic: alien conspiracy theories.
A newly revealed Department of Defense review shows that the U.S. military deliberately spread UFO rumors—including staged photos and false briefings—to protect classified weapons programs. The practice wasn't just passive denial or silence. In some cases, it was policy.
One such incident, first uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, involves an Air Force colonel who, in the 1980s, handed fake photos of flying saucers to a bar owner near the top-secret Area 51 base in Nevada. The colonel, now retired, later admitted to investigators that he was acting under official orders to deflect attention away from the then-classified F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.
The backstory
The findings stem from a 2024 report by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a unit created in 2022 to sift through decades of military records and claims of unidentified aerial phenomena.
While the office was originally intended to investigate possible extraterrestrial sightings, much of what it uncovered pointed back at the government itself.
According to the report, several UFO legends were intentionally stoked to mislead the public and foreign adversaries about advanced weapons programs. One example is the use of fabricated photos and stories placed in local communities near sensitive testing sites like Area 51.
What we know
The Air Force colonel's fake UFO photos helped launch decades of speculation around Area 51
The military saw the spread of alien rumors as a form of "camouflage," a Pentagon official said
The disinformation helped obscure the testing of advanced technologies like stealth jets
AARO found multiple examples of fabricated narratives designed to deflect attention from classified work
What we don't know
The full scope of disinformation programs remains classified
Some events, including specific pranks and altered documents, were redacted from the report
The Pentagon has not released names of individuals involved, beyond the now-retired colonel
By the numbers
At least a dozen personnel were reportedly introduced to a fictional alien-investigation program called "Yankee Blue" as part of a hazing ritual
The practice began in the 1980s and reportedly continued until 2023
The Pentagon formally banned the practice after AARO flagged it during its review
What they're saying
"These episodes reveal how secrecy and misinformation, even when well-intentioned, can spiral into myth," said Sean Kirkpatrick, AARO's first director. He told the Wall Street Journal that many popular conspiracy theories can be traced to actual efforts by the U.S. military to conceal vulnerabilities or capabilities during tense periods of geopolitical rivalry.
Kirkpatrick added that not all findings from the review have been made public, but promised more details in a forthcoming report.
Big picture view
The revelations come as public trust in government transparency around UFOs continues to grow. While recent years have seen serious Congressional inquiries into unidentified aerial phenomena, this new report adds a surprising twist: that many UFO legends were never about aliens at all—they were cover stories engineered by the military itself.
What's next
The Pentagon says it will publish a follow-up to the Historical Record Report later in 2025, which will include more details on the disinformation programs, hazing rituals, and instances of "inauthentic materials" being used as deception tools.
The Source
This report is based on information first published by The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed findings from a 2024 Department of Defense analysis led by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Additional details were obtained through official Pentagon statements and interviews conducted by WSJ with AARO staff and other defense officials involved in the review.
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