A senior Defense Department official who attended the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania last year had symptoms resembling those of “Havana syndrome,” which first emerged in 2016 when U.S. officials in Havana reported unexplained head pressure, pain, and dizziness. The Pentagon confirmed this on Monday and indicated that the symptoms experienced by the official were similar to those reported by other U.S. personnel. The “60 Minutes” report suggested that Russia may be behind these incidents, including one that occurred during the NATO summit last year. The official affected was not part of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s delegation but was at the summit for separate meetings.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 threat assessment found it was “unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the mysterious ailments associated with Havana syndrome, though U.S. intelligence agencies had varying levels of confidence in this conclusion. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated this confidence, stating that the intelligence community has extensively investigated the matter and continues to do so. The investigation remains ongoing, with new information being evaluated as it arises. The Pentagon has established a registry for employees or dependents to report such incidents, but a recent five-year study by the National Institutes of Health did not find any brain injuries or degeneration among U.S. diplomats and government employees with similar symptoms.
Mitchell Valdés-Sosa, a Cuba-based researcher on the incidents, criticized the “60 Minutes” report for lacking scientific evidence to support the existence of Havana syndrome. As the director of Cuba’s Center for Neuroscience, he has been the de facto spokesperson on the issue for the Cuban health ministry and suggested that the symptoms attributed to the syndrome could be caused by various common illnesses. Valdés-Sosa acknowledged that diplomats have fallen ill but implied that the high public attention to the issue may have led to ordinary illnesses being mistakenly linked to the supposed phenomenon. However, there has been ongoing speculation and concern regarding the cause of Havana syndrome and its potential connection to foreign adversaries.
The affected Defense Department official in Vilnius has not been identified, and it is unclear if they required further medical care, retirement, or a change in duties due to the symptoms experienced. The Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community continue to investigate the incidents related to Havana syndrome, with varying levels of confidence in attributing them to foreign adversaries. The ongoing scrutiny of these incidents reflects the seriousness of the situation and the potential threats to U.S. government personnel and their families. While some doubt the existence of a distinct illness causing the reported symptoms, others believe that further investigation is necessary to determine the true cause of Havana syndrome and ensure the safety and wellbeing of those affected. The registry established by the Pentagon allows for continued monitoring and reporting of incidents related to the syndrome.
