What did the declassified documents reveal?

Document: Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163) Agency: Department of War Date: April 22, 2026 Notable: FOIA response to a request for information on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). From The Black Vault's archive entry: This is an example of the war.gov-era Department-of-War FOIA reading-room output, released through FOIA case number 20-F-0163. The document is a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from The Black Vault, Inc. dated October 29, 2019. The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff (OSW/JS) conducted a search of their records systems and located 416 pages determined to be responsive to the request. The responsive pages were reviewed by various Initial Denial Authorities, including Ms. Tanya Rose, Mr. David Bennett, C.C. Davison, Mr. Mark Dorgan, and Mr. Richard Strong. Portions of the pages were determined to be exempt from release pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(3), 10 U.S.C. § 424, and 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(5) and (b)(6). The exemptions were applied to protect information specifically exempted by statute, information pertaining to employees of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and inter- and intra-agency memoranda which are deliberative in nature. The document also includes a series of emails between individuals, including Lue Elizondo and Chris Mellon, discussing the release of information related to UAP. The emails contain redacted information, including exemptions under 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(5) and (b)(6). The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff has considered the foreseeable harm standard when reviewing records and applying exemptions under the FOIA. Fees for processing the request were below the threshold for requiring payment. The document includes contact information for the Action Officer assigned to the request, Brianna Johnson, and the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration. This is the text of the Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163). DEPARTMENT OF WAR OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR/JOINT STAFF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155 Ref: 20-F-0163 April 22, 2026 Mr. John Greenewald The Black Vault, Inc. 27305 W. Live Oak Road Suite #1203 Castaic, CA 91384 Dear Mr. Greenewald: This is a final response to your October 29, 2019 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, a copy of which is enclosed for your convenience. The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff (OSW/JS) FOIA Requester Service Center received your request on October 30, 2019, and assigned it FOIA case number 20-F-0163. We ask that you use this number when referring to your request. The Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs (OATSW(PA)), a component of OSW, conducted a…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Case · DAILY-006

Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163)

JUL 5 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-department-of-war-office-of-the-secretary-of-war-joint-sta7 minLast updated July 5, 2026

The short version

Document: Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163) Agency: Department of War Date: April 22, 2026 Notable: FOIA response to a request for information on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Date: JUL 5 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

↯ Dispatch — press play

0:006:50

↯ Share

X in r/

Episode notes

Questions about this case

What was Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163) about?: Document: Department of War / Office of the Secretary of War / Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-0163) Agency: Department of War Date: April 22, 2026 Notable: FOIA response to a request for information on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

✉ Dispatches

A short dispatch when a new file is released — narrated, answer-first, and linked straight to the primary source. No spam; unsubscribe anytime.

↯ Subscribe to the feed

RSS feed Browse all cases

Questions about this case

Get the next declassified case in your inbox