The truth is out there, Donald

With no clear end in view to the Middle East war, critics are probably partly right in claiming US President Donald Trump has chosen to release numerous files of UFO sightings as an attempt to divert public gaze from stalled peace talks with Iran.

Well at the outset I'll put my hand up and declare I'm no sceptic and as usual with my contributions, I have some skin in the game. Yes, I saw a UFO on a deserted island beach in Central Queensland about 20 years ago.

My blue heeler-cross best mate Dylan and I were enjoying a walk on a long, deserted stretch of sand on Wild Cattle Island at the entrance to Gladstone Harbour, one of Queensland's busiest shipping ports, when an object emerged from above the tree line about half a kilometer to the south. It was black and wedge-shaped and it just hovered motionlessly, maybe 100 metres or so above the beach.

I had some binoculars in my back-pack but while I was reaching for them to get a better look, it suddenly zoomed off out to sea without a sound and disappeared over the horizon.

What the ----? I knew that the big international war games Operation Talisman Sabre were in progress at Shoalwater Bay north of Rockhampton … could it have been a stealth bomber? Could they move like that? (Doubtful). Could it have been an unknown observer from God knows where?

Seeking some answers, as soon as I got home I phoned the civil aviation authorities and reported what I had seen. They informed me there were no known civilian or military aircraft operating in that designated area at that time. So officially it was "an unidentified flying object" and I had joined the ranks of people from all walks of life including numerous military and civilian pilots who have reported seeing one. And no, I hadn't been drinking.

Even if the timing of the latest US release of numerous UFO sightings is questionable, the concept is nothing new, as shown in an article I wrote five years ago:

Meanwhile the US military has gone from the days of 'deny everything' that was the mantra of its long running Project Blue Book dating back to the 1950's, to an admission that UFO's are an inexplicable reality.

This BBC report from June 25, 2021 states: "A highly anticipated US government report on UFOs (unidentified flying objects) has just been released. Here's what we know so far.

The unclassified report was demanded by Congress after numerous reports from the US military of vehicles seen moving erratically in the sky.

It also follows a cultural shift that saw the US military and US political leadership go from extra-terrestrial-sceptic to ET-curious.

But with little conclusive evidence to confirm or deny any intergalactic visitations, it remains to be seen whether any earthling minds will change.

Military leaders warn that the technology, if not alien, may belong to US adversaries such as Russia or China.

The UAP task force's unclassified report found 'no clear indications that there is any non-terrestrial explanation' for the aircrafts, but also did not rule it out…

Not much has changed since then, despite the flood of new sightings. These contain more than 160 declassified files from the FBI, NASA and the Pentagon, including investigative cases, radar data, sensor videos and military mission reports. They feature incidents dating back to the 1940s, including a 1947 report of "flying discs" and transcripts from Apollo mission astronauts who reported mysterious lights and unidentified phenomena in space.

According to Science News, "The mechanism behind the flashes described by Apollo astronauts remains a mystery. Perhaps the particles, which are components of c­osmic rays, emit radiation as they pass through part of the eye. Or perhaps they trick nerve cells to create the illusion of light. However the flashes happen, they are still an issue for astronauts…"

Among the new files are videos and reports from 2024, including infrared sensor footage from US military platforms and a report of a "football-shaped" object near Japan.