HAVANA SYNDROMEU.S. Unpersuaded by Report Blaming Russia for ‘Havana Syndrome’
The United States is backing a year-old intelligence assessment that health problems affecting, and in some cases incapacitating, hundreds of American personnel around the world are not the result of a weapon wielded by a U.S. adversary. The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department Monday stood by a March 2023 report by the National Intelligence Council that concluded it is “very unlikely” the adverse symptoms known as Havana Syndrome were caused by enemy operatives.
The United States is backing a year-old intelligence assessment that health problems affecting, and in some cases incapacitating, hundreds of American personnel around the world are not the result of a weapon wielded by a U.S. adversary.
The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department Monday stood by a March 2023 report by the National Intelligence Council that concluded it is “very unlikely” the adverse symptoms known as Havana Syndrome were caused by enemy operatives, despite a new investigation that suggests a notorious Russian intelligence unit may be to blame.
“The intelligence community has not concluded that,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, defending the conclusions of the 2023 assessment.
But Jean-Pierre also said the White House has not stopped looking at the issue, which in some cases has forced U.S. personnel to retire.
“We’ve taken this very seriously,” she said. “We are going to do everything that we can … We’re going to continue to do a comprehensive examination of the effects here that we’re seeing and the potential causes.”
A joint investigation unveiled late Sunday by CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Germany’s Der Spiegel and The Insider, found there is reason to believe that the U.S. intelligence assessment came to the wrong conclusion.
Pointing to travel documents, mobile phone records, eyewitness testimony and interviews with multiple U.S. officials and victims, the news organizations concluded there is a high likelihood that Russia is to blame.
Specifically, the investigation tied numerous reports of Havana Syndrome with the presence of members of Unit 29155 of Russia’s military intelligence service, known for its role in sabotage and assassinations.
It also found that many of the symptoms are consistent with the impact of sound or radio-frequency-based directed energy weapons.
Additionally, the investigation found members of GRU Unit 29155 received awards and promotions for their work on such weapons.
At the White House, Jean-Pierre referred additional questions about Havana Syndrome to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
ODNI, the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, on Monday all declined to respond to VOA’s request for comment.
But both ODNI and DIA pointed to the Worldwide Threat Assessment issued by U.S. intelligence agencies last month.
“Most IC [intelligence community] agencies have concluded that it is very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs [anomalous health incidents],” the assessment said, using the U.S. government terminology for Havana Syndrome.