--- title: The Military Responded to Those Planning To Raid Area 51 description: The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to raid Area 51 in search of aliens. canonical: https://time.com/5627283/area-51-invasion-military-free-aliens/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-07-16T15:18:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:54:19.758Z og:title: The Military Responded to Those Planning To Raid Area 51 og:description: The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to raid Area 51 in search of aliens. og:url: https://time.com/5627283/area-51-invasion-military-free-aliens/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85335a9cf4dc14f8/698a0006e76ad23c02636252/area-51-raid-air-force.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Story about Highway 375, which is known for its UFO sitings and the people who believe in them. Phot og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Military Responded to Those Planning To Raid Area 51 twitter:description: The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to raid Area 51 in search of aliens. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85335a9cf4dc14f8/698a0006e76ad23c02636252/area-51-raid-air-force.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Military Has a Warning for Anyone Interested In Raiding Area 51 In An Attempt To Free Aliens > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=eba2ae91-e9c7-4fa5-87df-873c6efdb984&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Area 51 Is the Internet's Latest Fascination. Here's Everything to Know About the Mysterious Site [Watch (HLS stream): Area 51 Is the Internet's Latest Fascination. Here's Everything to Know About the Mysterious Site](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0d5fGI8M.m3u8) (1:09)  _Published 2019-07-17. Area 51 has been shrouded in mystery for decades, so it only makes sense that the rumored alien secrets held within the remote desert site would get a reboot in the social media age._ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jul 16, 2019 3:18 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jul 16, 2019 3:18 PM UTC The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to [raid Area 51](https://time.com/5626450/storm-area-51-alien-memes/) in [search of aliens](https://time.com/5625420/area-51-petition/) as part of an internet joke that has gone viral. The fake plan to raid Area 51 started with a Facebook event and has inspired thousands of [alien-related memes](https://time.com/5626450/storm-area-51-alien-memes/). “Any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged,” an Air Force spokesperson told [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741938966/more-than-1-million-people-agree-to-storm-area-51-but-the-air-force-says-stay-ho) in a Monday statement, along with several other media outlets including [_USA Today_](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/16/area-51-air-force-responds-plans-storm-nevada-military-base/1741799001/) and [The New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/us/area-51-raid.html). The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment by TIME at the time of publication. The Facebook event “[Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All Of Us](https://www.facebook.com/events/448435052621047/?active%5Ftab=about),” was started as an [internet joke to raid Area 51](https://time.com/5625420/area-51-petition/) on September 20 in search of aliens. **Read More**: [Laughs, Masks and a ‘Sense of Community.’ Most People Came in Peace to the Area 51 Raid. Here’s What Actually Happened ](https://time.com/5681197/area-51-raid-aftermath/) “If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens,” the event description reads. 1.3 million people have signed on to attend so far, and the internet memes have taken over social feeds around the world. A pinned post on the event page describes the joke invasion strategy in detail, and adds: “Hello US government, this is a joke, and I do not actually intend to go ahead with this plan. I just thought it would be funny and get me some thumbsy uppies on the internet.” Area 51, a secretive military base north of Las Vegas, is home to what alien conspiracy theorists have claimed hides the secrets of extra terrestrial life in the universe. It has been the subject of science fiction films, TV shows and literature for decades. Anyone interested in actually _Naruto_\-running into Area 51 might be disappointed to know they just missed the Roswell, New Mexico [U.F.O. Festival](http://www.ufofestivalroswell.com/) that happens every July and is welcoming of invaders. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5627283/area-51-invasion-military-free-aliens/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5627283/area-51-invasion-military-free-aliens/"},"headline":"The Military Has a Warning for Anyone Interested In Raiding Area 51 In An Attempt To Free Aliens","datePublished":"2019-07-16T15:18:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:54:19.758Z","description":"The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to raid Area 51 in search of aliens.","url":"https://time.com/5627283/area-51-invasion-military-free-aliens/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","onetime","apollo1150"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85335a9cf4dc14f8/698a0006e76ad23c02636252/area-51-raid-air-force.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85335a9cf4dc14f8/698a0006e76ad23c02636252/area-51-raid-air-force.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Story about Highway 375, which is known for its UFO sitings and the people who believe in them. 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