Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies Finds PURSUE Release #1 Falls Short of Scientific Transparency

Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies
13 hours ago
3 min read

Review finds missing metadata, limited case context, significant reporting gaps, and large amounts of previously public material in the first federal UAP records release.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 — The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) provides here a preliminary evaluation of Release #1 of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). An examination of the files released Friday, May 8, 2026, finds that much of the material already exists in the public domain and, conversely, a large amount of material related to what is known to exist has not yet been released. Among the new materials in the release, the lack of detailed case information and the absence of metadata in most videos hamper its use for systematic scientific analyses.

Specific concerns related to Release #1 of PURSUE are as follows:

Video Redactions: Dozens of videos were released, but the critical metadata, such as time, date, location, range, altitude, speed, etc., that would allow for a detailed analysis of the videos, were redacted. This makes it impossible to place these videos in context for proper study. It is important to note that the only four videos released with their metadata intact were the same ones already released by the government.

Overclassification: We note that the Project Blue Book files released over 50 years ago provided much greater transparency and included all pertinent unclassified information for each case, such as radar data, photographs, metadata, and investigations. This contrasts with the lack of such information in PURSUE Release #1. We hope this situation will be remedied in future releases.

Lack of Investigations and Assessments: Stand-alone witness reports and videos have been made available, but without their accompanying investigations, assessments, interviews, and written evaluations. These need to be released to the public to facilitate UAP research.Old Information: SCU finds that 70% of the FBI files in the release already exist in the public domain in the FBI FOIA Vault. The 1972 NASA photo that has drawn significant public attention was first discovered over 15 years ago.

Missing Time Frames: There are significant gaps in the data. Materials are missing for four decades of UAP reporting, from 1974 to 2015. Civilian reporting systems indicate continued reporting during that time. Full information must be released across all time frames to investigate the phenomena properly.

Missing Federal Agency Information: There is a total lack of reports from many agencies that are known to have UAP information. This includes the Department of Energy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency. We hope that the information from these organizations, which is critical to understanding UAP, will appear in future releases.The SCU sincerely hopes that unclassified information developed and/or reviewed by scientists from the military and intelligence agencies will be provided in future releases. The information provided in Release #1 adds little to the advancement of the current state of scientific study of UAP. The SCU thanks members Sinan Robillard and Miguel Pavon for contributing to this initial evaluation. The SCU will continue to provide updates for Release #1 and all future PURSUE releases.

About the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU):

The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a nonprofit interdisciplinary research organization dedicated to the scientific investigation of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Composed of scientists, engineers, former military and intelligence professionals, and law enforcement experts, SCU applies rigorous analytical methods and advanced tools to evaluate aerial and anomalous phenomena. SCU collaborates with government agencies, academic institutions, and private sector partners to ensure objective, evidence-based analysis, enhance reporting systems, and provide actionable insights to improve public safety and airspace security. Its research supports transparency, responsible evaluation, and the advancement of scientific understanding of phenomena that are not readily explained by conventional technologies.

For more information, visit http://www.explorescu.org/

Media Contact:

Deborah West

(346) 320-7693

press@explorescu.org