The U.S. National Archives (NARA), in response to the [2024 National Defense Authorization Act...
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The original was posted on /r/ufos by /u/showmeufos on 2024-10-10 19:16:05+00:00.

The U.S. National Archives (NARA), in response to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) several months ago established a page for the UAPs topic. That NARA page has received several updates in recent days (including this morning) that are worth sharing, and we can learn some information from these updates as well.

Those updates consist of:

  • Memorandum AC 04.2025 with guidance to agencies posted this morning
  • A “frequently asked questions” page also posted this morning

The language found on the “UAPS” topic page reads as follows:

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has established an ‘‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection," per sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 118-31). Unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records received by NARA from federal agencies in accordance with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will be accessioned into Record Group 615, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection. All publicly releasable records within Record Group 615 will be made available online through the National Archives Catalog within 180 days of transmission to NARA from federal agencies. NARA has issued guidance to federal agencies regarding identification, preparation, and transfer of UAP records, but has not yet accessioned records into Record Group 615. For more information about the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, please see our frequently asked questions.

A few things to note here:

  • The “record group” number for all records pertaining to the UAP topic is 615. NARA maintains a list of record group numbers for subjects, which currently stops at 614. 615 is the next in the list, and is our record group locator for “UAPs.” So, going forward, all UAP topics will be in that record group.
  • The record group 615 is already accessible, however, currently contains no contents online. This is the link for “Record Group 615.” This is a page to closely monitor going forward as materials should hopefully begin to show up here following October 20th, 2024.
  • There’s also a memo listed with guidance (AC 04.2025) pertaining to the release of those records.
  • There’s also a FAQ page linked to (as of this morning), with frequently asked questions about the records.

The "AC 04.2025"guidance memo was released this morning by the National Archives. It reads:

AC 04.2025

Date: October 10, 2024

Memorandum to Federal Agency Records Officers: Transfer of Publicly Releasable Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records

This memo is for federal agencies with UAP records responsive to sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (Public Law 118-31) (now at 44 U.S.C. 2107 note).

No later than September 30, 2025, federal agencies must transfer to NARA digital copies of all UAP records identified by October 20, 2024, that can be publicly disclosed, including those that were publicly available on December 22, 2023, the date of the enactment of the Act. We request that agencies transfer materials on a rolling basis and as soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline.

Agencies with publicly releasable UAP records should contact NARA at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) as soon as possible to provide information as to their transfer plans and to initiate transfer of publicly releasable UAP records in advance of September 30, 2025. Each publicly releasable UAP record must include metadata according to the guidance to agencies announced in AC 26.2024.

For any publicly releasable records that include redactions, agencies must simultaneously transfer redacted and unredacted copies to NARA. NARA will only accept digital versions of UAP records. UAP records transferred to NARA in accordance with the Act will be part of Record Group 615, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection.

Further guidance on the review and transfer procedures for classified or otherwise restricted UAP records using the standards for withholding specified in Section 1843 of the Act will be forthcoming.

This is rather frustrating as the “disclosure date” for these NARA records – widely expected by the r/UFOs community – has been October 20, 2024. It seems according to this memorandum the actual agencies have another whole year to supply the records to NARA, so it’s likely the “best stuff” won’t be posted on archives.gov until as last as possible… likely September, 30 2025 or later.

The FAQ page, also posted online this for the first time, provides some interesting insights into “how things are going” behind the scenes for NARA. The language of that page is found here:

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection?

Sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 note, require NARA to establish the ‘‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection” and each federal agency to review, identify, and organize each UAP record in its custody for disclosure to the public and transmission to the National Archives. NARA has established Record Group 615, The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection.

What records are included under the Act?

The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records Collection will consist of “copies of all Government, Government-provided, or Government-funded records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, and non-human intelligence (or equivalent subjects by any other name with the specific and sole exclusion of temporarily non-attributed objects).”

Agencies must identify all UAP records that exist in any format. Agencies must make digital copies of these records and prepare them for transfer to NARA. NARA will only accept the digital versions of UAP records.

When will UAP records be transferred to NARA?

As of October 2024, NARA has not yet received any records from federal agencies for inclusion in Record Group 615. No later than September 30, 2025, federal agencies must transfer to NARA digital copies of all UAP records identified by October 20, 2024, that can be publicly disclosed, including those that were publicly available on December 22, 2023, the date of the enactment of the Act. NARA requests that agencies transfer materials on a rolling basis and as soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline. (See AC Memo 04.2025: Transfer of Publicly Releasable Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records.)

Further guidance on the review and transfer procedures for classified or otherwise restricted UAP records using the standards for withholding specified in Section 1843 of the Act will be forthcoming.

How will NARA provide access to UAP records once transferred to NARA?

All copies of UAP records submitted to NARA in accordance with the Act must be digital. NARA will make publicly releasable copies of these records available online in the National Archives Catalog. Digital copies will initially be available onsite in the research complex at the National Archives at College Park via public-access computers until they are available online in the National Archives Catalog.

How do I locate records related to UAPs/UFOs that were in NARA’s custody prior to the enactment of the 2024 NDAA?

The National Archives has in its custody records across multiple record groups and collections related to unidentified flying object (UFO) and UAP investigations, sightings, and reporting. NARA has created a web page for Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives. The page includes links to descriptions of records, and where available, links to the digitized records that are available for viewing or download.

So, from this FAQ page, NARA states “As of October 2024, NARA has not yet received any records from federal agencies for inclusion in Record Group 615.” *That means in the 9+ months since the NDAA passed, not a single agency has sent a single record to NARA pertaining to the forc…

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