Why hasn't the MOD released Rendlesham Forest files? We're STILL waiting

Right, it's been over 40 years since the Rendlesham incident and we've got more redactions than a Cold War spy manual. The Americans declassified their UFO stuff (eventually), so why is the Ministry of Defence still acting like Father Christmas with the good files locked in the attic?

I've submitted three FOIA requests and got back more black marker than actual text. Surely if it was just a "weather balloon" or "military exercise gone wrong" they could've said so by now without compromising national security? The longer they keep quiet, the guiltier they look. What's the theory then - they're protecting us from panic, or do they genuinely not know what it was and can't admit it?

Thoughts?

SkepticalSally92: Or - hear me out - they've already released everything they're going to release, and the reason there's redactions is because of actual operational security, not aliens. People always assume silence = coverup, but sometimes silence is just bureaucracy being bureaucracy. The US doesn't have some magic truth vault either, mate.

TruthSeeker_UK: Sally, that's exactly what they want you to think! The fact that both countries are equally cagey about it proves they're coordinating. Why would they redact the names of officers involved in a training exercise? I've read the Halt memo seventeen times and the physical evidence alone - burnt trees, radiation readings - doesn't match any conventional explanation.

VincentPrice88:

The US doesn't have some magic truth vault either, mate.

Actually, we kind of do. Roswell wasn't discussed officially for decades. Weather balloons don't leave scorch marks on trees or set off Geiger counters. The level of secrecy suggests something genuinely anomalous. Whether it's extraterrestrial is another question, but I'm confident it wasn't Venus or swamp gas.

CivilServiceDrone: Used to work in a government office. Can confirm that incompetence and red tape exist, but so does genuine classification for good reasons. Rendlesham probably involves weapons systems or foreign intelligence activity that's still sensitive. Doesn't mean it was aliens, and it doesn't mean we're being lied to about aliens specifically. Sometimes a secret is just a secret because it's embarrassing or military-sensitive, not paranormal.

NightSkyWatcher: The most frustrating bit is that we'll never know in our lifetimes. They'll release it when everyone involved is dead and nobody cares anymore. Classic government move.