War Department Secretly Tests Device Behind Global ‘Havana Syndrome’ Cases

The War Department has reportedly been testing a covertly acquired device that some investigators believe could be responsible for the mysterious “anomalous health incidents” affecting U.S. intelligence operatives, diplomats, and military personnel worldwide.

According to four sources briefed on the matter, the device was purchased for “eight figures”—millions of taxpayer dollars—in the waning days of the Biden administration through an undercover operation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations using War Department funding.

The device allegedly produces pulsed radio waves, a theory previously advanced by some officials and academics as a potential explanation for symptoms including vertigo, severe headaches, tinnitus, and cognitive impairments. One source described the device as being small enough to fit in a backpack—a detail that raises concerns about its potential use without detection near American personnel.

The acquisition has reignited tensions within federal intelligence agencies after War Department officials reportedly took the findings seriously enough to brief the House and Senate intelligence committees late last year, including discussions of the acquired device and its testing.

Havana Syndrome first emerged in 2016 among U.S. diplomats in Havana, Cuba, and has since been reported globally. While victims and some lawmakers have argued the incidents resemble targeted attacks, the intelligence community has repeatedly downplayed the likelihood that foreign adversaries are responsible—a position criticized by those suffering long-term health effects.

A House Intelligence subcommittee recently challenged the Biden-era 2023 intelligence community assessment that it was “very unlikely” a foreign adversary caused the incidents. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ariz., called the assessment inconsistent with analytic integrity standards and urged the Trump administration to reassess it, citing what he described as “reliable evidence” that some cases were the work of foreign adversaries.

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos, who claims he was stricken during an incident in Moscow in 2017, stated victims want the Trump administration to expose what they call a Biden-era “cover-up” and official “gaslighting.” Polymeropoulos also indicated the discovery of such devices would warrant a major public apology from the CIA for how victims were treated.

Despite ongoing debate about whether this device explains dozens of cases still officially unresolved, officials are increasingly worried about proliferation. If the technology is viable, multiple hostile nations could possess similar tools, placing American personnel and national security at greater risk.