The U.S. investigation into mysterious symptoms known as the "Havana syndrome" could provide Americans with long-overdue insights into the emerging threats of directed-energy devices.
Hundreds of U.S. government personnel — mostly spies and diplomats abroad — have reported piercing pain, unexplained sounds, vertigo, vision loss, memory loss, insomnia and signs of brain damage since 2016, when dozens were afflicted in Cuba.
Later incidents were reported in China, Russia, Colombia, Austria, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, Poland and other countries. While some theories blamed mass hysteria and even crickets, a rise in high-profile cases — including in and around the White House — compelled U.S. officials to seriously consider a more nefarious and disturbing explanation: unseen electromagnetic weapons.
