Pentagon Quietly Tests Mysterious Device as Havana Syndrome Questions Linger

The Defense Department has now reportedly spent more than a year quietly testing a device obtained through an undercover operation that some investigators believe could be linked to the baffling ailments known as Havana Syndrome, a condition that has affected U.S. spies, diplomats, and military personnel, according to sources briefed on the matter.

The device was purchased in the final days of the Biden administration by Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, using funds provided by the Pentagon. Officials involved in the acquisition said the price tag reached “eight figures,” placing the cost well into the tens of millions of dollars, though they declined to provide a more precise figure.

Despite the high cost and extended testing period, the device remains under study, and debate continues within the federal government about whether it is actually connected to the dozens of unexplained health incidents that remain unresolved. In some corners of government, skepticism persists about drawing any firm conclusions.

The device produces pulsed radio waves, according to one source, a detail that has fueled renewed interest because some officials and academics have long speculated that pulsed electromagnetic energy could explain the symptoms reported by victims. While the device is not entirely Russian-made, it does contain Russian components, the source said.

A central mystery for investigators has always been whether a device powerful enough to cause the reported injuries could also be portable. According to one person briefed on the testing, this device could fit inside a backpack, a detail that has intensified concerns among national security officials.

The acquisition has reignited a long-running and deeply contentious debate inside the U.S. government over Havana Syndrome, officially referred to as “anomalous health episodes.” The condition first surfaced in late 2016, when U.S. diplomats stationed in Havana reported symptoms resembling head trauma, including severe headaches and vertigo. Similar cases were later reported in other countries around the world.

For years, the intelligence community and the Defense Department have struggled to determine whether these incidents were caused by a directed energy weapon wielded by a foreign government. Senior intelligence officials have publicly stated there is insufficient evidence to support that conclusion, while affected personnel have argued that the government dismissed or ignored evidence pointing toward Russian involvement.

The issue was serious enough that defense officials briefed the House and Senate Intelligence Committees late last year, referencing both the device and its ongoing testing.

One growing concern among some officials is the possibility that if the technology proves viable, it may have spread beyond a single country. Several sources warned that more than one nation could now possess technology capable of inflicting potentially career-ending injuries on U.S. personnel.

It remains unclear where the device originated or how U.S. authorities learned of its existence. Homeland Security Investigations, which has global reach and broad authority over customs-related crimes, has a long history of working with the Defense Department, particularly when U.S. technology turns up overseas under suspicious circumstances.

Medical and intelligence officials continue to face major challenges, including the lack of a clear definition of anomalous health incidents and the fact that many medical tests were conducted long after symptoms began. In 2022, an intelligence panel said some cases could plausibly have been caused by pulsed electromagnetic energy. Yet in 2023, the intelligence community publicly assessed it was unlikely the incidents were part of a foreign campaign, a conclusion that largely remained in place as of early 2025, even as officials acknowledged they could not entirely rule out a foreign cause in a small number of cases.