Navy Denies FOIA for UAP Videos, Cites Classified Security Guide

Navy's FOIA Response Reveals Classified UAP Security Guidelines

A September 7, 2022 letter from the Department of the Navy denies a FOIA request for archived UAP videos, citing classification under a UAP Security Classification Guide, while a separate release provides the guide itself.

Published

September 1, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

navyfoiauapclassifiedsecurityguidelinesdepartment of the navyuap task force

Opening summary

S. Navy, stating that the videos are classified in their entirety and exempt from release. The denial, dated September 7, 2022, was issued by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in response to a request from John Greenewald of The Black Vault.

C. § 552(b)(1), Executive Order 13526, and a UAP Security Classification Guide as the basis for withholding the records.

This article merges that denial letter with a previously released document: a UAP Security Classification Guide from the Office of Naval Intelligence, which was partially disclosed in response to a separate FOIA request (case DON-NAVY-2022-000883). Together, these records provide a window into how the Navy classifies and protects UAP-related information, while also highlighting the limits of public access to such material.

Background and context

The FOIA request at issue was submitted by John Greenewald of The Black Vault on July 11, 2022, and was assigned case number DON-NAVY-2022-010360. The request…

Continue reading with DeclassifyAI Premium. Get unlimited access to declassified document analysis, source-linked investigations, newsletters, and topic alerts for $10/month.

$10/month · Billed every 30 days from your signup date

This analysis is based on officially released government source documents. The original government source link remains available above for transparency. Premium is $10/month. Checkout opens when live billing is enabled.

Source verification

This article is based on an officially released source document linked below.

DeclassifyAI summarizes and analyzes the document — it does not replace the original release.

Review the original government source material directly for full context and verification.

The official source link is provided so you can confirm provenance yourself.

This article is based on official FOIA releases published by The Black Vault. The September 7, 2022 letter is a Department of the Navy response to a FOIA request, and the UAP Security Classification Guide is a partially redacted document from the Office of Naval Intelligence. Both are presented as authentic government records. Official source documents referenced in this article: - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/unidentified-aerial-phenomenon-uap-security-classification-guide-id04-030-naval-intelligence-activity/ - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/u-s-navy-says-all-uap-ufo-videos-are-classified-and-exempt-from-release/

Official Source Document2 Source Links Provided

Disclaimer

This article is based on declassified or officially released source material. DeclassifyAI summarizes and analyzes the linked government document. Always review the original official source directly — linked above — before relying on any summary or interpretation. Illustrations shown with articles are not part of the originally released documents; they are added by DeclassifyAI for substance when the source release does not include usable imagery.