DOW-UAP-D080 is a Department of War memorandum dated 02 June 2026, issued by the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Intelligence and Security Division, presenting the first-hand narrative of Witness 2. It was released as part of PURSUE Release 03 on June 12, 2026. Witness 2 was one of several U.S. federal law enforcement special agents who reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) over a two-day period in October 2023 in the western United States.12
Provenance and Chain of Custody
The document is classified UNCLASSIFIED and structured as a Memorandum for Record. It originates from the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Intelligence and Security Division, at 5000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-5000. Attribution is to Jon T. Kosloski, Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The memorandum references VIRIN 260508-D-D0360-1052, dated 08 May 2026, and a cross-reference to the Department of War UAP Western U.S. Event case page.
Pages 5-8 of the memorandum contain AI-generated visual renderings of the three reported incidents, produced in June 2026 -- approximately 2.5 years after the October 2023 events -- based on Witness 2's descriptions and prompts. The renderings deliberately avoid identifiable geographic features and are not to exact scale. The temporal gap between events and visual documentation is an inherent limitation of this record.3
What the Document Contains
The memorandum preserves a free-form narrative submitted by Witness 2 directly to AARO. At the time of the survey operation, the witness and an assigned partner were part of a multi-team federal law enforcement operation in a western U.S. valley. The stated objective of the operation was to identify individuals launching drones. The valley was bounded by mountain ranges to the west and east, with more distant ranges to the north. Observations spanned two separate evenings in October 2023, during clear weather with good visibility, with temporal windows ranging from approximately 1845 to 2300 hours. Across both evenings, Witness 2 and their partner experienced three distinct incidents. No acoustic effects, electromagnetic interference, or physiological effects were reported during any of the three incidents. Other teams operating in the area confirmed observations from Incident 1.
Incident 1: Orb Expulsion and Extended Hover
At approximately 1900 hours on the first evening, Witness 2 observed a bright circular orb-like light positioned roughly 35-45 degrees above the northern/northeastern horizon. The light initially resembled a luminescent planet but gradually increased in brightness, exhibiting what the witness described as a "bright natural light with slight halo effect" rather than artificial illumination. A smaller red orb was visible within the primary light.
The primary orb then expelled three or four red lights from its interior. These smaller lights -- estimated at approximately 1/15th the size of the primary orb -- accelerated instantaneously and maneuvered into horizontal formation with what the witness described as "perfect, smooth coordination." The witness noted the motion appeared "too smooth and agile to be mechanical, but too structured/coordinated to be biological division." Following the expulsion, the bright orb dimmed and faded.
This cycle repeated approximately five times across the northern, northeastern, and eastern horizon between roughly 1900 and 1930 hours. Multiple other agents in the area confirmed observing the same objects.
After the final cycle, a grouping of red lights moved southward and became stationary above the southern horizon, with three lights aligned at equal spacing. This configuration persisted from approximately 1930 until 2300 hours, occasionally dipping below the horizon before rising again. The witness drew an analytical comparison to the concept of a "portal" -- explicitly noting this was offered as a descriptive framework rather than a conclusion.
Incident 2: Valley Pursuit and Morphing Object
On a separate survey night, the witness team drove northwest on a rural highway then north/northeast up a valley toward a mountain range, parking at approximately 1800 hours. At approximately 1845 hours, two circular orb-like lights appeared in the southern valley approximately 5-7 miles distant, initially consistent in appearance with vehicle headlights. At around 1900 hours, a row of red lights appeared hovering approximately 15 degrees above the southern horizon, covering an area the witness estimated at approximately the size of a football field. The witness characterized the object's stillness as exhibiting "an impossible, eerie stillness."
The vehicle-like lights then produced white pulse-like flashing patterns directed toward the witness team; a second set of headlights appeared approximately one mile east, replicating the same pulse behavior. The two vehicle-like objects appeared to operate within a roughly 6-mile by 6-mile zone defined by the southern tips of the bounding mountain ranges.
At approximately 1915 hours, one object began moving northward toward the witness team's position. The witnesses drove toward it with headlights extinguished and using night vision equipment exclusively, reaching approximately 70 miles per hour. At approximately 50 yards of separation -- at the moment of anticipated encounter -- "the object then accelerated instantly to south, traveling at least one mile south in less than a minute across rugged terrain." The witness documented the inconsistency explicitly: object travel was inconsistent with vehicle travel over rugged terrain; the object appeared to hover and float smoothly.
After a brief pause, the object reactivated and moved westward across the valley in what the witness described as "a gliding motion." As it passed the witness team's position it transformed "into group of orange and purple lights in shape of box not dissimilar to a semi-truck in shape and opaqueness," traversing approximately four miles of rugged terrain within approximately one minute before the lights extinguished near the western mountain range. Simultaneously, the row of red lights that had been hovering above the southern horizon also vanished. The incident concluded at approximately 2000 hours.
The witness estimated that objects in the valley maintained altitude of approximately 20 feet above ground level. The witness characterized the objects as "highly reactive to interaction" and compared the red light array to the Phoenix Lights incident of the 1990s.
Incident 3: Road-Based Orb and Semi-Truck Encounter
Sometime between approximately 2100 and 2300 hours, the witness team stopped to observe an orb-like light on the road at the crest of a hill approximately 1-2 miles northwest of their position. The object appeared consistent with a single vehicle headlight but was notably brighter and larger. The witness noted that if actual headlights, two lights and eastward travel would be expected; only a single centered light was visible.
As the witness team began driving toward it, the object moved westward ahead of them, hovering above the right lane at approximately vehicle height. It followed the road loosely but did not adhere precisely to its curvature. On several occasions the bright orb dimmed to a single red taillight before returning to the bright orb configuration. This pattern persisted for approximately 10-15 miles at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour, which the witness team could not exceed.
Near the end of the encounter, the object transitioned into an orange light/orb-like disk with a halo glow and appeared to descend to the side of the road at the base of a hill. As the witness team approached that position, what appeared to be a semi-truck came around a corner heading directly toward them at high speed. The witness was explicit about the ambiguity: they were "not sure if was same object that transitioned into semi-truck coming at them or if actual vehicle on road." The apparent semi-truck passed and continued eastward. The orb-like disk was no longer visible.
The witness noted that other vehicles had passed during the pursuit without appearing to react to the object, and that "Video footage captures some of it, audio of reactions more valuable" as corroborating evidence. The witness concluded: "It felt like it was drawing us in and had control to disappear instantly."
Cross-Incident Patterns
Across all three incidents, Witness 2 identified consistent behavioral characteristics: immediate reactive response to approach; apparent morphological mimicry of conventional vehicles (single headlights, a semi-truck silhouette) combined with movement inconsistent with those vehicles; smooth instantaneous acceleration; hovering at consistent low altitudes over rough terrain; and the complete absence of acoustic, electromagnetic, or physiological side effects. The witness interpreted these patterns as indicating purposeful, controlled behavior.
What The Record Supports
DOW-UAP-D080 preserves a trained federal law enforcement observer's account within AARO's case file for the Western U.S. Event. The memorandum establishes what Witness 2 reported in their own words and analytical framing; it does not independently verify the observations, provide sensor data, or establish the nature or origin of the phenomena described. Observations from Incident 1 were corroborated by other agents in the operational area; Incidents 2 and 3 are single-source from the witness team. The AI-generated renderings on pages 5-8 are illustrative and were produced 2.5 years after the events. The phenomena described across all three incidents remain unidentified.