NARA Record Group 615: The National Archives' UAP Records Collection Explained
A guide to Record Group 615 (RG 615), the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection at the U.S. National Archives — its legal authority under the 2024 NDAA, the agencies whose records it holds, how it differs from the historical Project Blue Book records, and how to browse it in the National Archives Catalog.
Record Group 615 (RG 615) is the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) — a centralized collection for U.S. government records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), also called unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in historical materials.
Legal authority
RG 615 was established under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118-31, sections 1841–1843), which directs federal agencies to identify their UAP-related records, prepare digital copies, and transfer them to the National Archives for accessioning into the collection on an ongoing basis.
Which agencies’ records are included
Agency series accessioned into RG 615 and indexed separately in the National Archives Catalog include the:
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
- Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
- Department of State
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Each agency series can be browsed through the National Archives Catalog, where researchers can read series descriptions and access digital copies where publicly releasable.
How it differs from Project Blue Book (RG 341)
RG 615 is a contemporary collection assembled under the 2024 NDAA. It is distinct from the National Archives’ historical Project Blue Book records, the U.S. Air Force’s investigation of UFO reports from 1947 to 1969, which are held in Record Group 341. NARA’s unified UAP research topic page links both the historical records and the new RG 615 materials so researchers can navigate them together.
How to access the records
- Collection landing page: browse the RG 615 parent entry at catalog.archives.gov/id/445887258.
- By agency: navigate to a specific agency series (FAA, FBI, NSA, and so on) within the collection.
- Research topic page: the National Archives’ UAP research topic page (archives.gov/research/topics/uaps) gives an overview of UAP records across record groups, including the by-record-group index.
Notes for researchers
RG 615 is an active, growing collection rather than a closed one — its scope expands as agencies transfer records. NARA’s catalog describes the records factually, without characterizing their content as proof of any phenomenon. This guide describes the collection’s authority, organization, and access; it does not interpret the records or represent an official position of NARA or any agency.