SOURCE: BlackVault — theblackvault.com (Tier 2)
CATEGORY: BUREAUCRACY
CREDIBILITY SCORE: 74/100 | EVIDENCE SCORE: 30/100
LIKELY EXPLANATION: reputable lead — review and contextualize
TAGS: congressional, foia
Source Excerpt
Just days after former President Donald Trump publicly stated that he wanted to order the release of UFO and UAP-related files, the U.S. Navy formally denied an appeal seeking the release of 78 photographs designated as “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP). The decision, dated February 24, 2026, upholds a prior full denial of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by The Black Vault in September 2022 under case number DON-NAVY-2022-012661. The appeal was assigned tracking number 2026-NavyAppeal-000123. The original request sought “all photographs with the designation of ‘unidentified aerial phenomena or ‘UAP’ as archived by the U.S. Navy.” In November 2024, the Navy’s initial denial authority determined that 78 responsive photographs existed but withheld them in full under FOIA Exemption (b)(1), citing classification under Executive Order 13526 and the UAP Classification Guide. Appeal Denied in Full In its appeal response, the Office of the Judge Advocate General confirmed that all 78 photographs remain classified. “The IDA confirmed that as of today, these records are still classified in accordance with Executive Order 13526,” the letter states. The decision further concludes that “given the nature of the requested documents, segregation was not possible,” meaning that no portion of the photographs could be released in redacted form. The Navy emphasized that when information is properly classified under FOIA Exemption (b)(1), there is effectively no discretion
Documents
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-NavyAPPEAL-000123.pdf
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-NavyAPPEAL-000123.pdf
Images
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-01_13-43-12-300×180.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-01_13-44-57.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/18623002_021926-wls-elgas-ufo-files-SR-vid-300×169.jpg
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- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/plugins/embed-any-document/images/EAD-logo.svg
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