USCENTCOM has released a series of declassified Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission reports to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, documenting at least four separate UAP observations logged by aircrews operating over the Persian Gulf, Iraq, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Gulf of Aden. The reports span August 2020 through July 2024, were declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison in his capacity as USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and were cleared for open publication on March 10, 2026, through the Department of Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review.

The administrative cover sheet for the batch — designated DOW UAP PR20 and carrying reference numbers USCENTCOM MDR 25-0094 thru MDR 25-0099 and JS-250710-TM8S — indicates that the release reflects a USCENTCOM recommendation to AARO. What specific recommendation USCENTCOM made is not stated in the visible portions of the documents.

What the Documents Say

Persian Gulf, August 8, 2020 (DOW UAP D60)

The earliest of the released reports covers a mission flown by the 482nd Attack Squadron (482 ATKS) out of a base designated OKAS. The aircraft — tail number and callsign both redacted under exemption 1.4(a) — took off at 0337Z on August 8, 2020, and landed at 0045Z on August 9, logging a total mission time of 21 hours and 8 minutes. It supported NAVCENT for a classified operation in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, conducting scans for Iranian and IRGCN vessel activity, UAS activity, and pattern-of-life collection. Full motion video was exploited by a unit identified as DGS1. Mission totals included 20.3 flight hours, 17.7 IMINT hours, and 18.4 SIGINT hours across two total taskings.

At 0726Z, the crew observed what the report records as "1X UAP IVO 39RWL08" — in the vicinity of a grid coordinate in the Persian Gulf region. The observation method was listed as FMV. The report notes: "NO IMPACT TO MISSION." Later that same day, at 1250Z, the aircraft was hailed on guard frequency by Iranian Air Defense. The report states: "ORDERS GIVEN: STANDARD CALL. [REDACTED] RESPONDED STANDARD RESPONSE. NO IMPACT TO THE MISSION." The guard call record lists one call from the same agency with a tone described as "PROFESSIONAL." The aircraft was at flight level 170, heading 200 degrees, at 110 knots indicated airspeed. Dense cloud coverage is noted as having intermittently impacted FMV collection. No UAP signatures, RF activity, or effects on persons are reported. The intel gap was assessed as not filled.

" — in the vicinity of a grid coordinate in the Persian Gulf region. The observation method was listed as FMV. The report notes: "

This report was declassified by MG Harrison on 20 March 2026 under a separate MDR batch (MDR 26-0038 to MDR 26-0046), suggesting it arrived at AARO in a slightly later tranche than the Iraq-series reports.

Eastern Mediterranean, May 2022 (DOW UAP D14)

The May 2022 report originated from the 50th Attack Squadron (50 ATKS), operating under USEUCOM — a notable distinction, as the other reports fall under USCENTCOM. The aircraft departed Sigonella Airbase (ICAO: LICZ) at 1355Z on May 29, 2022, and landed there again at 1025Z on May 30, for a total mission time of 20 hours and 30 minutes. It conducted SIGINT collection via airhandler and IMINT in support of Operation [redacted] in the Eastern Mediterranean, logging 39 targets — including Syrian Navy operational areas, Israeli-Lebanese-Syrian region collection zones, Latakia naval monitoring positions, and Tartus Naval Base.

At 2147Z, the aircraft was reacted to by one to three aircraft, including one possible Russian Aerospace Forces SU-30. At 0117Z on May 30, "ONE POSSIBLE SMALL UAP WAS OBSERVED" — the report directs the reader to "UAP LINE 1," but that line's contents are redacted. At 0011Z, a probable SU-27/35 was observed landing at Al Assad Airfield. Full motion video was exploited by DGS-IN and DGS4. The mission was tasked by the 603rd Air Operations Center and cleared through USEUCOM.

This document was declassified by MG Harrison on 8 October 2025 under MDR 25-0094 thru MDR 25-0099.

Iraq, December 1, 2022 (DOW UAP D18)

The December 2022 report was filed by the 482 ATKS under Operation Inherent Resolve. The aircraft departed from OKAS at 1206Z on December 1 and landed at 0723Z on December 2, logging 19 hours and 17 minutes total mission time and 18 hours and 35 minutes on station. Primary sensor was listed as FMV with sensors available described as AH/BLASPHEMY — the latter a classified system designator. The mission supported a task force conducting pattern-of-life scans, HVI/POI identification, and personnel tracking in the vicinity of Baghdad, Iraq.

At 1620Z, the crew observed what the report characterizes as a "POSSIBLE UAP." The UAP section of the report records: "AT 1620Z, [REDACTED] OBSERVED lX POSSIBLE UAP/UAV FLYING WEST TO EAST IVO 38SMB4[REDACTED]. DID NOT FOLLOW UAP. [REDACTED] CONTINUED THE MISSION AS TASKED, NO FURTHER EVENTS WERE OBSERVED." The report notes one UAP sighted, UAP signatures: No, and UAP effects on persons: "NONE REPORTED." The friendly aircraft was at flight level 180 at the time of observation. FMV was exploited by a unit designated DGS-AR. The intel gap for the primary ISR tasking was assessed as not filled.

The crew's decision not to follow the UAP and to continue their assigned tasking reflects standard operating procedure for ISR platforms in contested airspace over Iraq, where deviating from mission parameters carries operational risk. The document does not explain what distinguished the object from known UAV types, nor does it record any visual characteristics beyond direction of travel.

Gulf of Aden, July 14, 2024 (DOW UAP D75)

The most recent report in the batch covers a mission by the 124th Attack Squadron (124 ATKS), filing under USCENTCOM MDR 25-0072. This document carries a recommendation from MG Brandon R. Tegtmeier, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, dated June 2, 2025 — not from MG Harrison — indicating it was processed through a different approval chain than the Iraq and Persian Gulf reports. It is classified SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY with a declassification date of July 14, 2049.

The aircraft arrived on station at 0300Z on July 14, 2024, having coordinated with NAVCENT 124 minutes prior to takeoff — a precoordination the report rates as "EXCELLENT." At 0517Z, the crew observed "1X UAP AT 140517ZJUL24 IVO 38P MT 53" — grid coordinates consistent with the Gulf of Aden region. The UAP is referenced as "UAP1" in the ISR section, suggesting a separate enclosure exists, but that enclosure's contents are not visible in the released pages. FMV exploitation is mentioned but the exploiting unit is redacted under 1.4(a).

The mission subsequently transitioned to AFCENT tasking at 1041Z, coordinated 30 minutes prior with a precoordination effectiveness also rated "EXCELLENT." Nothing significant was reported during that second segment. The report's UAP section begins at the last visible page with the initial contact time stamped 140517Z JUL24 and the event type listed as "UAP Incid[ent]" — the field is cut off at the page break, and no further UAP characterization data is visible in the released portion.

Why It Matters

Taken together, these five documents — four mission reports plus the administrative cover sheet — represent a cross-section of how UAP observations are being captured and routed through military reporting structures in active operational theaters. None of the observations recorded here appear to have disrupted the primary mission in any case; every report either explicitly states "NO IMPACT TO MISSION" or indicates the aircrew continued tasking without deviation. That is a consistent pattern across four years and multiple theaters of operation.

The documents confirm what AARO has stated publicly: that UAP observations are being logged through standard military reporting channels — in this case MISREP filings — and forwarded to AARO through USCENTCOM's mandatory declassification review process. The MDR reference numbers establish a clear bureaucratic chain from the originating units to AARO's holdings.

What the documents do not provide is any analytical conclusion about the observed objects. In each case, the UAP LINE or UAP1 enclosures that would contain fuller description and any follow-on analysis are either redacted or not included in the released pages. DGS1, DGS-AR, DGS-IN, and DGS4 — ground exploitation stations that processed the full motion video from these missions — presumably produced analysis products, but none are visible here. Whether those products characterize the observed objects, identify them, or assess them as anomalous is unknown from this release.

The Iranian Air Defense guard call in the August 2020 Persian Gulf report is a separate thread. It is documented as a professional, single-call interaction with no mission impact, and the document does not connect it analytically to the UAP observation logged earlier that same sortie — though both occurred on the same flight. Drawing any connection between the two would go beyond what the record supports.

MG Harrison's name appears across the Iraq and Persian Gulf declassifications as the approving authority for release, while MG Tegtmeier's name appears on the Gulf of Aden report — reflecting different chiefs of staff at different points in USCENTCOM's leadership succession. The Office of Prepublication and Security Review's March 10, 2026 clearance of DOW UAP PR20 as the administrative wrapper for the batch places the public release date well after the October 2025 declassification decisions, consistent with a multi-step review process.

For researchers tracking AARO's document releases, this batch fills in operational context for the 2020–2024 period across the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. It does not, on its face, support claims of anomalous performance or non-human origin — but it equally does not rule them out, because the analytical records that would bear on those questions remain either classified or unreleased.