DISCLOSURE / FILECENTCOM Full-Motion Two-Second Contrast September 2020
DOW-UAP-PR084, "17 Sept 2020 [CALLSIGN] observes UAP"
A 4-minute 13-second full-motion video from a classified network — uploaded September 2020 — capturing roughly 2 seconds of anomalous contrast transiting a military camera frame over the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
Brief
AARO assessed this clip as likely recorded by a full-motion video camera aboard a U.S. military platform in the CENTCOM AOR in 2020, surfaced after eight House members formally requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records on March 6, 2026. Of the 253-second runtime, only the 00:25–00:27 window contains observable content: an area of contrast entering from the lower right and exiting the upper left. AARO explicitly carries no analytical judgment or investigative conclusion about the event's nature or significance. Chain-of-custody for this and the broader collection of responsive materials is flagged as unsubstantiated.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Incident
- 2020
- Location
- CENTCOM
- Type
- VIDEO • .mp4
- Length
- 4:14
- Classification
- UNCLASSIFIED
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- area of contrast, full-motion video, CENTCOM, 2020, classified network upload, FMV platform, callsign redacted
Key points
- Eight U.S. House members requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community on March 6, 2026.
- AARO assessed the video as likely derived from a full-motion video camera aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the CENTCOM AOR in 2020.
- An unidentified user uploaded the video to a classified network in September 2020; the uploader-defined title includes a redacted callsign.
- Many materials in the identified collection lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
- Active content spans only 00:25–00:27 — approximately 2 seconds out of 253 total — during which an area of contrast transits the frame from lower right to upper left.
- AARO explicitly disclaims that its video description reflects any analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination about the event.
Most interesting
- The observable anomaly occupies roughly 0.8 percent of the total runtime — 2 seconds embedded in over four minutes of blank footage.
- The video was not routed through a standard military UAP reporting channel; it was uploaded by an unidentified user to a classified network, bypassing formal chain-of-custody.
- The congressional records request came on March 6, 2026 — less than three months before the May 22 DOW release date, indicating direct legislative pressure drove the declassification timeline.
- CENTCOM's 2020 AOR spans from Egypt through Central Asia and into the Horn of Africa; the precise operating location within that theater is not disclosed in any available text.
- The callsign in the original filename was redacted in the public title, confirming at least one layer of platform or crew identification was withheld at release.