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UAP LEDGER
Department of War

DOW-UAP-D081: Narrative Statement 3, Western United States Event, 2023

Released: June 12, 2026

Written by AI from official sources, checked against them before publishingHow we do this

This is a first-hand account from a U.S. federal law enforcement agent who reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in June 2026. The witness describes two separate incidents in mid-October 2023 in the western United States involving colored orbs and a vehicle that behaved in unusual ways.

What did the witness see in the first incident?

In the first sighting around 1900 hours (dusk), the witness observed a large orange orb moving across the sky from east to west. The orb alternated between clear and orange colors in cycles of two to three seconds. When orange, it had a well-defined outline; when clear, a faint outline remained visible. The witness estimated the orb moved about 20 degrees across the sky in three to five seconds. At approximately 45 degrees elevation, the orange orb expelled three smaller red orbs in what appeared to be a mechanical action. The red orbs then moved south in a straight line, spaced about one second apart. The entire event lasted 30 to 45 seconds, with no sound or exhaust trails observed.

What happened in the second incident?

The second sighting occurred either the same night or the next night around 2000 to 2030 hours (near full darkness). Using night vision goggles (NVGs), the witness observed four red lights approaching from the north, moving south across roughly 90 degrees of sky in five to ten seconds. These four lights stopped and hovered in a square formation over the corners of an airfield. Simultaneously, the witness saw orange orbs (possibly two) from the east, hovering near a west-facing ridgeline. Below the witness's position, a vehicle was flashing its headlights in a slow, methodical pattern of two to three seconds between on and off cycles.

What happened when the witness approached the vehicle?

The witness and partner drove down the hill toward the vehicle with their lights off, using NVGs to navigate. As they approached, the vehicle maintained a distance of roughly 100 yards, appearing to respond to their approach. When the witness thought they were closest, the vehicle floated off the road to the south across rough terrain with no visible roads. The witness later searched for tire tracks but found none. The vehicle came to rest in the brush with a single light that then faded out. Once the vehicle disappeared, the orbs were no longer visible. This portion of the event lasted about 2 to 3 minutes.

Why did AARO request this account?

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office requested a free-form narrative from the witness to document the sequence of events exactly as remembered. This memorandum, dated 2 June 2026, presents the witness's first-hand account as part of AARO's official record-keeping on UAP incidents.

Full Document Text

Text extracted directly from the source PDF. Text extraction via abigailhaddad/ufo-releases; original file at war.gov.

Read the full text (6,331 characters)
--- PAGE 1 ---
UN CLASSIFIED

                           OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF WAR
                                          5000 DEFENSE PENTAGON
                                         WASH INGTON , DC 20301-5000
INTELLIGENCE
AND SECURITY


                                                                                            02 June 2026
      MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

      SUBJECT: Nairntive from Witness 3 - Western U.S. Event

      References: (a) https://www.war.gov/ufo/#Western-US-Event,VIRIN: 260508-D-D0360-1 052,
                  08-MAY 2026.

      1. Executive Sumrna1y .

              This memorandum presents the first-hand naiTative from Witness 3 provided to the All­
      domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Witness 3 was one of several United States (U.S.)
      federal law enforcement special agents who reported observing unidentified anomalous
      phenomena (UAP) over a period of two days in October 2023 in the western United States.

      2. Witness Na1rntive.

              ill response to AARO 's request to provide a free-fo1m naiTative of the sequence of events
      exactly as they remember them, Witness 3 submitted the following text:

      "ill mid-Oct 2023, I was with agents from our office at our work location. We were out of the
      office conducting work related activities. Traveling and working with one other agent, at
      approximately 1900, roughly dusk with a cleai· sky, I was looking east when I saw a large orange
      orb in the sky seemingly coming in my direction. I recall my paitner asking, "are you seeing
      this?" I couldn't tell how large the orb was because I could not dete1mine how far away it was. I
      recall that it was alternating between cleai· and orange with maybe two or three seconds in each
      colored cycle. When it was orange, the outline was well defined, but when it was clear, it did not
      seem to disappeai· as I vaguely recall still being able to see an outline of the orb although it was
      cleai·. ill ten ns of speed, I'd estimate the orb moved approximately 20 degrees in the sky in
      about three to five seconds. When the orb was at approximately 45 degrees (halfway between
      the horizon and directly overhead), it expelled three smaller red orbs. The expulsion appeared to
      be mechanical. The red orbs then moved to the south in a straight line spaced about one second
      apart, also at 45 degrees (from directly overhead to the horizon) until I could no longer see them .
      I did not pay attention to what the orange orb was doing after it released the red orbs. However,
      I don 't recall seeing it any longer. I do not recall any sound associated with what I saw. Also,
      there were no exhaust trails coming from either the orange or the red orbs. Although I could not
      tell how lai·ge the orange orb was, the red orbs were a lot smaller than the orange orb.
      Compai·atively, I' d say the red orbs were like grapes being expelled from a basketball. The time
      fraine for this explanation was maybe 30-45 seconds.
      ill a second occunence, also in mid-Oct 2023 , either the same night or the next night, I was out
      with my paitner again but at a different location. It was nearing full darkness, so I'd say the time
      was probably ~2000-2030 and the sky was cleai·. I was using NVGs to scan the sky when I saw

                                                   1
                                              UNCLASSIFIED

--- PAGE 2 ---
UNCLASSIFIED


red lights coming from the north, heading south. Their speed was difficult to gauge but I’d say
they moved from right to left in my vision in about five to ten seconds covering roughly 90
degrees across the sky. These four red lights stopped above an airfield and hovered in what
appeared to be a square over each corner of the airfield. At about the same time, looking south, I
also observed orange orbs (possibly two) coming from the same direction (east) I saw the first
orange orb (in the para above). They seemed to be hovering near a slope of a west facing
ridgeline as the four smaller red orbs hovered over the airfield. I don’t recall if the orange orbs
released red orbs in the same manner the first orange orb did. Looking back toward the four
hovering red lights, I noticed what appeared to be a vehicle down below me and my partner. We
were sitting higher up on a road that sloped upward so the vehicle was below us. As the red
lights hovered, the vehicle was flashing its headlights at a slow, methodical tempo, possibly two-
three seconds between switching off and on. Again, I don’t recall there being any sound
associated with any of this. My partner and I decided to speed down the hill toward the vehicle
as it seemed evident that it was involved with whatever was happening over the airfield and with
the other light orbs. I turned off the lights in our vehicle to hide our approach. (I used NVGs to
drive down the road.) The vehicle appeared to be sitting still, and I recall my heart beating
heavily as we approached it. As we approached the vehicle, its lights remained on. As we
approached, it seemed like we could get no closer than what seemed to be about 100 yards away
so it seemed like the vehicle was responding to our approach. As we thought we would overtake
the vehicle, it managed to keep its distance from us. Just as we thought we were at the closest
point, the vehicle then seemingly floated off the road to the south, across rough terrain. There
were no roads and later we searched for tire tracks but didn’t find anything. We stopped where
we thought the vehicle had originally been and saw it out in the brush in the rough terrain with a
single light on. The light then faded out and we didn’t see it anymore. At that point, we were
fixed on the vehicle so I didn’t notice the lights any longer. I am not sure what they did as we
tried to catch up with the vehicle. When the vehicle was gone, so were the orbs. The time frame
for this occurrence was about 2-3 minutes.”




                                                                  Jon T. Kosloski
                                                                  Director, AARO




                                             2
                                        UNCLASSIFIED
View the official file

Frequently Asked Questions

How did the orange orb change appearance during the first sighting?

The orange orb alternated between clear and orange colors in cycles of two to three seconds. When it was orange, the outline was well-defined. When it was clear, the outline remained faintly visible rather than disappearing completely.

From the source, word for word
I recall that it was alternating between cleai· and orange with maybe two or three seconds in each colored cycle. When it was orange, the outline was well defined, but when it was clear, it did not seem to disappeai· as I vaguely recall still being able to see an outline of the orb although it was cleai·.

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How fast was the orange orb moving?

The witness estimated the orange orb moved approximately 20 degrees across the sky in about three to five seconds.

What was the size relationship between the orange and red orbs?

The red orbs were much smaller than the orange orb. The witness compared the size difference to grapes being expelled from a basketball.

From the source, word for word
Compai·atively, I' d say the red orbs were like grapes being expelled from a basketball.

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How did the vehicle respond when the witness approached it?

The vehicle maintained a distance of roughly 100 yards and appeared to respond to the witness's approach by keeping its distance. When the witness thought they were at the closest point, the vehicle floated off the road to the south across rough terrain.

From the source, word for word
As we approached the vehicle, its lights remained on. As we approached, it seemed like we could get no closer than what seemed to be about 100 yards away so it seemed like the vehicle was responding to our approach. As we thought we would overtake the vehicle, it managed to keep its distance from us. Just as we thought we were at the closest point, the vehicle then seemingly floated off the road to the south, across rough terrain.

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Was there any sound associated with the observed phenomena?

The witness did not recall any sound associated with any of the observations, including the orbs or the vehicle.

From the source, word for word
I do not recall any sound associated with what I saw.

Check it against the official file

Congressional Context

Where this record connects to the congressional record and the people in it.

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