Case File · AARO · Post-Cold War (1990-2016) Declassified May 8, 2026 · PURSUE Release 01

Kona Blue — Washington, DC, June 5, 2013

UFO Visual Sighting

A post-cold war case from Washington, DC. A memorandum details the termination of the DHS S&T Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP) known as KONA BLUE.

June 5, 2013
Washington, DC
First page of AARO DHS Kona Blue
First page of AARO DHS Kona Blue · Source: declassified document

Background

On June 5, 2013, in Washington, DC, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) recorded the unidentified-phenomenon case described below. The case is preserved in AARO’s 2024-2025 publications and consolidated annual reports to Congress, declassified or released in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Defense reporting cycles.

A post-cold-war case predating the formation of the modern uap task forces.

The case appears in materials produced or curated by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

What the document records

A memorandum details the termination of the DHS S&T Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP) known as KONA BLUE. The Deputy Secretary determined the program did not require extraordinary security measures. All associated activities were halted, and personnel briefed on the program will undergo administrative debriefing.

Type of case

The case is a visual sighting reported by ground or air observers.

Status

AARO designates unresolved cases as those for which the agency has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded that they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Conventional candidates for sightings of recent periods include commercial drones, classified test platforms, satellite re-entry, balloon traffic, atmospheric optical phenomena, and astronomical objects.

Sources