The US military has been quietly testing a mysterious, miniaturized microwave device acquired through a covert operation, raising new questions about its potential link to the long-standing mystery of Havana Syndrome — even as official US positions have long denied the existence of such a foreign weapon.
According to a March 9, 2026, report by the Daily Mail, drawing heavily from a recent CBS 60 Minutes investigation, undercover agents from the Department of Homeland Security (with Pentagon funding) purchased the portable weapon from a Russian criminal network in 2024 for approximately $15 million. The device — described as concealable, silent, remotely operable, and capable of projecting a pulsed microwave beam over several hundred feet that penetrates windows and walls — has been under testing in a US military laboratory for more than a year.
Tests reportedly conducted on animals, including rats and sheep, produced injuries strikingly similar to those reported by victims of Havana Syndrome (also known as Anomalous Health Incidents or AHIs). These include brain trauma, cognitive impairments, and other neurological effects consistent with pulsed radiofrequency or microwave energy exposure. Classified security footage allegedly shows incidents resembling attacks, such as two FBI agents in Istanbul clutching their heads after a man with a backpack entered a restaurant, and individuals collapsing in a Vienna US embassy stairwell.
Havana Syndrome first emerged in 2016 among US diplomats and intelligence personnel at the embassy in Havana, Cuba, with symptoms like intense head pressure, ear pain, loud perceived noises, dizziness, vertigo, visual disturbances, and long-term cognitive issues. Over 200 cases (with estimates exceeding 1,500 total) have been reported worldwide since then, affecting personnel in locations including China, Russia, Austria, and even domestic sites like CIA headquarters and near the White House.
For years, US intelligence agencies — in a 2023 assessment reaffirmed in later reviews — concluded it was "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary used a novel weapon or device against American personnel. Explanations ranged from environmental factors, viruses, preexisting conditions, to suggestions of mass psychogenic illness. Critics, including affected victims and some experts, have accused the government of downplaying or covering up evidence to avoid geopolitical escalation, particularly if Russia were implicated.
The article highlights stark contradictions. Dr. David Relman, a Stanford professor who led government-commissioned investigations, stated that panels found pulsed microwave energy the "most plausible explanation" for many cases, aligning with Soviet-era research on similar effects like seizures, memory loss, and disorientation. A former CIA officer anonymously described internal efforts to "bring down the temperature" on the issue by framing it as environmental rather than adversarial, calling the handling "deplorable" and a factor in their resignation.
Victims expressed profound betrayal. Retired CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos described "moral injury" from the agency's response, while a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel detailed excruciating attacks feeling like a "vice on the head" and full-body convulsions. His wife reportedly suffered bone dissolution requiring surgery.
The device's key feature — software shaping abrupt, rapidly pulsing electromagnetic waves that stimulate brain tissue externally while mimicking natural signals — makes it an "ideal stealth weapon," per experts. If Russian-origin technology was sold on the black market, sources warn it could proliferate to non-state actors, posing widespread risks.
Despite the testing, the US government has not publicly shifted its stance denying a foreign weapon's role in most incidents. The Trump administration has continued the prior assessment while briefing Congress and reportedly relocating some investigators to weapons development units. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has emphasized commitment to a "comprehensive" review and delivering truth to the public.
This development, first surfacing in early 2026 reports from outlets like CNN and CBS, marks a potential turning point after nearly a decade of debate. It suggests the US now possesses and is studying technology that could reproduce the very symptoms long dismissed in official narratives — fueling calls for greater transparency, victim support, and accountability in how the intelligence community has handled one of the most baffling national security mysteries of recent years.