Pentagon UFO Office Goes Silent on UFO Video

A retired U.S. Air Force colonel has gone public with a 1980 UFO encounter, adding to a growing list of military witnesses stepping forward. Colonel Fred Claussen, a decorated combat pilot who flew 126 missions during Vietnam and earned the Distianguished Flying Cross twice, described being scrambled from a base in Northern Europe at 3 AM to intercept an unknown target over the North Sea.

According to his account, shared on Podcast UFO with Martin Willis, Claussen locked onto the object with his F-15 radar before it accelerated to approximately Mach 3 and vanished in a split second. He then visually observed a football-shaped craft about 40 feet long, glowing orange and yellow, with no wings, tail, or visible means of propulsion. After roughly 15 seconds of observation with his gun camera recording, the object shot straight up and disappeared. When Claussen returned to base, an unidentified man in a suit was already waiting in his commander’s office for the debrief. Days later, his gun camera film had been confiscated. He did not speak publicly about the encounter until after his retirement. He also spoke at the National Press Club Conference hosted by filmmaker James Fox in January 2026 that discussed the Varginha Brazil UFO case (read about it here).

This account comes during the same period that investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp released authenticated MQ-9 Reaper drone footage showing a UAP over the Jordan-Syria border. According to Corbell on the recent Weaponized podcast episode, the footage was formally designated by U.S. intelligence analysts as demonstrating apparent instantaneous acceleration. When journalists including Chris Sharp of Liberation Times submitted inquiries to AARO, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, they received no confirmation or denial. Dr. James Lacatski, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency’s largest acknowledged UAP program, has publicly accused AARO of acting as a disinformation operation, as referenced by Corbell.

Additionally, Corbell cited whistleblower Matthew Brown’s claims that the military uses automated systems to remove UAP footage from servers before it reaches broader analysis. 

Sources

Gomez, C. (2025, December 5). AARO releases 3 UFO videos then refuses investigation. UFO News. https://www.ufonews.co/post/aaro-releases-3-ufo-videos-then-refuses-investigation

Gomez, C. (2026, January 21). NATIONAL Press Club UFO Event Key Takeaways — Varginha Case. UFO News. https://www.ufonews.co/post/national-press-club-ufo-event-key-takeaways-varginha-case

Jeremy Corbell. (2026, February 11). BOB LAZAR abducted Austin Texas — But don’t worry, it’s probably nothing! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv0r0pRNrMo

Podcast UFO Live Shows. (2026, February 11). #732 Col. Fred Claussen | From a North Sea UAP encounter to the UAP press conference [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyxWjRK6bK0

Sharp, C. (2026, February 10). New footage shows Mushroom-Shaped UFO making apparent sudden acceleration, echoing CIA director’s warning to Defense Secretary — Liberation Times | Reimagining old news. Liberation Times | Reimagining Old News. https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/new-footage-shows-mushroom-shaped-ufo-making-apparent-sudden-acceleration-echoing-cia-directors-warning-to-defense-secretary