DOW-UAP-D27: Mission Report — United Arab Emirates Coast, October 2023
Date
October 2023
Document Type
Gov. Report
Authentication
Official PublicationRedaction Status
▐ Partially RedactedIssuing Authority
USCENTCOM Chief of Staff (Declassifying Authority)
Summary
A USCENTCOM mission report documenting an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed near the coast of the United Arab Emirates in October 2023. Originally classified SECRET//NOFORN (not releasable to foreign nationals), the document was declassified by the USCENTCOM Chief of Staff and published via the PURSUE initiative on May 8, 2026. D27 is one of four named CENTCOM UAP mission reports and covers the Gulf region at a time of heightened U.S. military operational tempo in CENTCOM's area of responsibility.
Significance
The SECRET//NOFORN classification of DOW-UAP-D27 distinguishes it from D25 (which was releasable to Five Eyes partners), suggesting its contents or context were considered more operationally sensitive. The UAE coast setting places this encounter in the Arabian Gulf — a theater with dense U.S. Navy and Air Force presence. October 2023 coincides with the period of heightened CENTCOM activity following the October 7 Hamas attacks, though no connection between the UAP report and that context is established in available reporting. Its declassification confirms that UAP encounters were formally documented by CENTCOM throughout 2023.