PURSUE archive · catalogue card
DOW-UAP-D038
Range Fouler Debrief, Middle East, May 2020
This card reproduces what the official catalogue publishes. Our own analysis (cross-checked sources, timeline and hypotheses) will come when its turn arrives in the weekly review.
- Agency
- Department of War
- Incident date
- May 14, 2020As the catalogue writes it: “5/14/20”
- Place
- Arabian Gulf · Middle EastAs the catalogue writes it: “Arabian Gulf” · “Middle East”See the area on the globe →
- Published in PURSUE
- May 8, 2026
- Records
- 2 records · Document + Video
- Redactions
- Redacted passages in 2 of 2 records
01 Official description
This document is a Range Fouler Debrief, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a “solid white object [fly] through the [field-of-view]. The reporter described the UAP as making erratic [movements] above the water.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
02 Catalogue records · 2
DOW-UAP-D038 · Document · Department of War · May 8, 2026 · Main record
Range Fouler Debrief, Middle East, May 2020
5/14/20 · Arabian Gulf
DOW-UAP-PR036 · Video · Department of War · May 8, 2026
Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
Middle East
File on war.gov ↗View on DVIDS ↗
Official description
The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and 17 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. An accompanying Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, described the UAP as a solid white object making erratic movements above the water.
Video Description:
00:05: An area of contrast briefly enters the sensor field-of-view from the left side of the screen.
00:06-00:18: The sensor pans away from the scene’s initial subject matter while cycling contrast settings and zoom levels.
00:19: The area of contrast re-enters the sensor field-of-view from near the center of the top edge of the screen.
00:20-01:15: The area of contrast remains generally within the sensor field-of-view.
01:16: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast.
01:56: The sensor further narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast.
02:10: A blue reticle briefly appears on screen but does not acquire a lock on the area of contrast.
02:15-02:17: The sensor switches to a different modality and loses track of the area of contrast.
This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.
03 Catalogue discrepancies
Errors or inconsistencies in the catalogue itself, noted as they appear. They do not change what the documents say.
- DOW-UAP-D038 cites “PR-036”; read here as DOW-UAP-PR036.
04 Related cases
Other catalogue cards from the same area or the same decade.
05 Sources
- [1]
Record · U.S. Department of War
Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE)
Card, descriptions and comments: PURSUE catalogue, U.S. Department of War. The files are not hosted here; they open on their official site.
Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗
May contain errors by the AI and the editor · always check the official source.