DISCLOSURE / FILECENTCOM Three Fast-Moving Objects October 2020
DOW-UAP-PR079, "29 October 2020 [CALLSIGN] (Mission) observes 3 fast moving UAP's"
A four-minute declassified infrared video, uploaded to a classified network in October 2020, in which a U.S. military sensor tracks multiple fast-moving areas of contrast over the CENTCOM area of responsibility — released by AARO in response to a March 2026 congressional access request.
Brief
Eight House members requested access on March 6, 2026 to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. AARO identified this video on a classified network and assessed it was likely captured by an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within USCENTCOM in October 2020. The record lacks a substantiated chain-of-custody. The sensor footage depicts multiple areas of contrast tracked across four minutes, with two simultaneously in frame for roughly 15 seconds around the 01:02 mark.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Incident
- 2020
- Location
- CENTCOM
- Type
- VIDEO • .mp4
- Length
- 4:01
- Classification
- UNCLASSIFIED (released); originated on classified network
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- fast-moving UAP, multiple objects, infrared sensor, CENTCOM, 2020, classified-network upload, chain-of-custody gap
Key points
- AARO assessed the video is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility in October 2020.
- The record lacks a substantiated chain-of-custody, flagging a provenance gap AARO considered material to its assessment.
- A user uploaded the video to a classified network in October 2020 under the uploader-defined title referencing three fast-moving UAPs; the originating unit callsign is redacted.
- Two distinct areas of contrast are simultaneously visible in frame from approximately 01:02 to 01:17, after which the sensor pans to track the second, losing the first.
- The full video runs 00:04:00 with significant portions described as 'no content' during sensor zoom cycling, leaving roughly 2:20 of active tracking.
- The March 6, 2026 congressional request targeted 51 potentially UAP-related records, of which this is one identified responsive item.
Most interesting
- The originating unit callsign is redacted in the release title, preserving operational security while the incident date and theater are disclosed.
- AARO's disclaimer explicitly states the video description should not be read as 'an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event's validity, nature, or significance' — an unusually broad epistemic hedge.
- The uploader-defined title specifies three UAPs, but the AARO frame-by-frame description accounts for only two simultaneous areas of contrast at any point in the footage.
- The video was surfaced not through a formal reporting chain but through a classified-network upload — consistent with the chain-of-custody gap AARO flagged.
- Eight House Representatives jointly triggered the disclosure process, suggesting bipartisan legislative pressure was the proximate cause of this release rather than executive-branch initiative.