Document · D-OC-09
The Navy confirms its refusal to release 78 photographs classified as UAP (February 24, 2026)
Department of the Navy – FOIA appeal decision 2026-NavyAppeal-000123 (request DON-NAVY-2022-012661)
Department of the Navy – Office of the Judge Advocate General (FOIA appellate authority) · Feb 24, 2026 · USA · FOIA release
Documented provenance
Navy letter published by The Black Vault, the recipient of the decision; PDF downloaded on November 1, 2026 (3 pages) and compared with The Black Vault's article.
- What it contains
- A 3-page letter rejecting the appeal: the 78 photographs with the UAP designation identified by the Navy in November 2024 remain classified under Executive Order 13526 and the UAP classification guide (FOIA exemption b1) and cannot be released even in part.
- What it shows and what it does not
- Shows that, five days after Trump's announcement of February 19, 2026 (P-018), the classification of UAP images remained in force in FOIA procedures: it is a concrete element for G-046 (Grusch against lazy declassification of images and videos) and for Rep. Luna's requests for videos (P-020, T-094). It does not say what the photos show or why they are classified, beyond the reference to the guide. Omega Click speaks of “photos and videos,” but the decision concerns only photographs, and the news had been published by The Black Vault seven weeks earlier.
- How it came to light
- Decision addressed to The Black Vault, which had filed the request in September 2022 and published it on March 2, 2026. Omega Click picked it up on April 21, 2026 in an article titled “ESCLUSIVO” (“EXCLUSIVE”), with a link to The Black Vault's copy.
- The document
- Open the document (theblackvault.com)
Sources
- The Black Vault, “Despite Trump's Call to Release UAP Files, Navy Denies Appeal for 78 Classified UAP Photographs” (March 2, 2026) (analysis)
- Navy decision on appeal 2026-NavyAppeal-000123 (PDF) (primary source)
- Omega Click Insights, “ESCLUSIVO: La Marina nega 78 foto e video UFO alla disclosure di Trump” (April 21, 2026) (other, pro-disclosure)
On this site
People 4
Claims 1
- David Grusch: Criticizes a “lazy” attitude toward declassifying UAP videos and maintains that Americans have a right to… Hypothesis or opinion
Promises 2
- Donald Trump: Trump announced that he would direct the Secretary of War and other agencies to begin identifying and… Partly kept
- Anna Paulina Luna: Luna asked the Pentagon for 46 UAP videos by April 14, 2026; once the deadline passed, she promised that the… Partly kept
Timeline 2
- Feb 19, 2026: Trump orders the identification and release of government files on UFOs and aliens
- Mar 31, 2026: Luna asks the Pentagon for 46 UAP videos by April 14
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