31 AUG Observes UAP part2, 2020 — Department of War Video
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “31 AUG 2020 [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP part2,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S.
Incident Overview
In 2020, in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, the Department of War preserved a sensor video that was declassified and published on May 22, 2026 as part of the second tranche of the Department of War’s Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). These records were identified by AARO in response to a March 6, 2026 request from eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives for potentially UAP-related material; AARO notes that many of the items lack a substantiated chain of custody.
What the government released
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “31 AUG 2020 [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP part2,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility in 2020. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in August 2020.
Video Duration: 00:04:58 Video Description: 00:00-00:45: The sensor tracks an area of contrast near the center of the screen. 00:46-01:09: Another area of contrast enters the field-of-view from the lower right side of the screen. The sensor pans to track both areas, but the second area of contrast exits the field-of-view. 01:10-01:22: The sensor cycles contrast modes, causing the area of contrast to momentarily lose distinctiveness against the background. 01:23-02:35: Several areas of contrast enter and exit the frame. 02:36-02:41: The areas of contrast become indistinct against the background. 02:42-03:22: The areas of contrast become distinguishable again. 03:23-03:43: Several areas of contrast enter and exit the screen. 03:44-03:48: The sensor pans to track the area of contrast. 03:49-04:01: The area of contrast exits the sensor field of view from the right side of the frame. 04:02-04:58: No content.
This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.
Status of the case
Records released under the PURSUE program are designated unresolved by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which means the federal government has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Where AARO has offered a likely source for an item — an infrared sensor aboard a military aircraft, a commercial camera, or a known optical effect — that attribution is the agency’s working assessment rather than a final determination. Conventional candidates such as drones, balloons, flares, satellites, parallax and forced-perspective artifacts, and ordinary aircraft remain on the table for any unresolved case absent better data than a single sensor pass or a witness recollection.