--- title: "Navy Confirms That Three UFO Encounter Videos Are Real" description: "Three U.S. military videos that show footage of “unidentified aerial phenomenon”are reportedly the real thing, according to U.S. Navy statements obtained by The Black Vault, a blog that’s all about exposing government secrets and UFO case files. The videos  were leaked and shown to the public back in 2017 by The New York Times and […]" date: "2019-09-17" modified: "2019-09-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/navy-confirms-ufo-videos-real" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "aliens" - "the digest" - "ufos" - "unidentified flying object" --- # Navy Confirms That Three UFO Encounter Videos Are Real ![Three U.S. military videos that show footage of "unidentified aerial phenomenon" are authentic, according to U.S. Navy statements.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Close Encounters Three U.S. military videos that show footage of "unidentified aerial phenomenon" are authentic, according to U.S. Navy statements [obtained by *The Black Vault*]()*,* a blog dedicated to exposing government secrets. "The Navy designates the objects contained in these videos as unidentified aerial phenomena," Joseph Gradisher, official spokesperson for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, told *The Black Vault*. ## Star Power The videos first [revealed to the public back in 2017]() by *The New York Times* and To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, a UFO organization co-founded by former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge. To be clear, the new statement doesn't mean the Navy is claiming aliens are real: "unidentified aerial phenomena" are simply just that — unidentified and unexplained; no little green men necessary. ## "What the..." One of the videos, dating back to 2004, shows a so-far unexplained object that "appeared suddenly at 80,000 feet, and then hurtled toward the sea, eventually stopping at 20,000 feet and hovering," as [*The New York Times* wrote]() in its 2017 report. Another shows footage taken by a fighter jet in 2015 of an object that passes below at extremely high speeds. “What the \[...\] is that thing?” one of the pilots asks in the video. ## Black Box The videos were also never meant to be seen by the public. "The videos were never officially released to the general public by the DoD and should still be withheld," Pentagon Spokesperson Susan Gough told *The Black Vault* earlier this year. **READ MORE:** [Video Shows U.S. Navy Run-in With UFO]() \[*Popular Mechanics*\] **More on UFOs:** *[The U.S. Navy Will Start Taking UFO Sightings Much More Seriously]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()