Norms Impact
U.S. military tested device that may be tied to Havana Syndrome on rats, sheep, confidential sources say
A classified weapon purchase and animal testing moved forward while the government kept a public “very unlikely” assessment in place—normalizing secrecy that shields accountability to victims, Congress, and the public.
Sources
Summary
Undercover Department of Homeland Security agents purchased a classified, miniaturized microwave weapon from a Russian criminal network in 2024, funded by the Pentagon, and it was tested on rats and sheep at a U.S. military lab for more than a year, confidential sources say. Parts of the national security apparatus are depicted as having shifted from investigating potential hostile attacks on U.S. personnel to managing internal perception and maintaining prior conclusions. The result is a government that pays for care while withholding public accountability, leaving victims without formal recognition and leaving Congress and the public dependent on classified briefings.
Reality Check
When the executive branch preserves a public conclusion while operating on contradictory classified evidence, we set a precedent for governance by withheld facts rather than accountable judgment. That posture weakens congressional oversight by forcing lawmakers to rely on compartmented briefings instead of enforceable public records and clear policy commitments. It also conditions the national security bureaucracy to treat institutional reputation management as an acceptable substitute for truth-finding, leaving injured public servants dependent on private acknowledgment without durable, public standards of responsibility.
Detail
<p>Confidential sources said U.S. agents investigating illicit arms dealers learned a Russian criminal network was selling a microwave weapon. Those sources said undercover Department of Homeland Security agents purchased the device overseas in 2024 in a mission costing about $15 million and funded by the Pentagon.</p><p>Sources described the weapon as portable and concealable, operable by remote control, silent, and capable of projecting a beam several hundred feet that can penetrate windows and drywall. They said it is programmable and that the key feature is software that shapes a pulsed electromagnetic wave.</p><p>Sources said the classified device has been tested for more than a year in a U.S. military lab, with tests on rats and sheep showing injuries consistent with those reported in humans. Sources also said classified security-camera videos show apparent incidents, including an Istanbul restaurant scene involving two FBI agents and a stairwell at the U.S. embassy in Vienna where two people collapse.</p><p>Sources said the Biden White House met with victims and drafted, but did not release, a public statement backing them; the 2023 intelligence assessment that attacks were “very unlikely” has not been changed, while top intelligence officials in Congress were briefed and shown a classified picture of the weapon.</p>