U.S. defense officials have spent more than a year testing a clandestinely purchased device that investigators believe may be linked to the mysterious illnesses known as Havana Syndrome, reopening debate over whether foreign adversaries targeted American personnel.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Pentagon has been quietly testing a covertly acquired device that some investigators believe could be connected to Havana Syndrome, the unexplained illness that has sickened U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats, and service members around the world, according to a report by CNN.
The device was purchased for “eight figures,” amounting to millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, during the final days of the Biden administration, according to four sources briefed on the matter. CNN reported that the acquisition was conducted through an undercover operation by Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, using Defense Department funding.
According to the network, the device is capable of emitting pulsed radio waves, a mechanism long cited by some officials and researchers as a possible cause of the symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome. Those symptoms have included vertigo, intense headaches, tinnitus, cognitive impairment, and other neurological issues.
One source told CNN that the device is small enough to fit inside a backpack, raising concerns that similar technology could be deployed near U.S. personnel without attracting attention. The report also stated that while the device is not entirely Russian in origin, it contains Russian components, intensifying suspicions that foreign adversaries may have developed or contributed to a directed-energy capability capable of harming American officials.
Pentagon officials reportedly viewed the findings as serious enough to brief members of the House and Senate intelligence committees late last year. Those briefings included discussion of the device itself and the ongoing testing conducted by the Defense Department.
Havana Syndrome was first reported in 2016 among U.S. diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba, and has since been documented in multiple countries. The cause of the incidents has remained disputed. Victims and several lawmakers have argued the pattern of injuries resembles deliberate attacks, while the intelligence community has repeatedly maintained that it is “very unlikely” a foreign adversary was responsible, a conclusion that has angered those suffering long-term health effects.
That assessment has been challenged in Congress. A House Intelligence subcommittee disputed the 2023 Biden-era intelligence community finding, arguing it failed to meet analytic integrity standards. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ariz., urged the Trump administration to reassess the conclusion, citing what he described as “reliable evidence” that at least some cases involved hostile foreign action.
The issue has also drawn renewed attention following reporting by the New York Post, which cited former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos. Polymeropoulos, who says he was affected by Havana Syndrome while stationed in Moscow in 2017, has accused federal agencies of a Biden-era “cover-up” and “gaslighting” of victims. He told CNN that confirmation of such devices would warrant a public apology from the CIA for its treatment of those impacted.
CNN reported that skepticism remains within parts of the federal government over whether the tested device can account for all unresolved cases. However, officials are increasingly concerned about the potential spread of the technology. If the capability is viable, multiple hostile nations could possess similar tools, posing a continuing risk to U.S. personnel and national security operations worldwide.
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