The Defense Department is funding animal research to study whether radio frequency waves could cause symptoms consistent with "Havana syndrome," a mysterious illness that has afflicted hundreds of U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers, Politico reported March 9.
News of the animal research comes about a week after a U.S. intelligence report determined that the condition, first identified in 2016, was not caused by the actions of a foreign adversary using energy waves as a weapon. Despite the report's findings, the Defense Department is still probing the cause of what the government is calling "anomalous health incidents."
In September 2022, the Army awarded Detroit-based Wayne State University a $750,000 grant to study the effects of radio frequency waves on ferrets. The Defense Department has also tested pulsed radio frequency sources on primates, sources told Politico.
While animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has vehemently opposed the research, others say the studies are necessary to help humans experiencing symptoms of the condition, including headaches, temporary loss of hearing and vertigo.
"This type of testing will be integral to us finally finding out what happened to the [anomalous health incident] victims as we will be able to compare the imaging that was done on our brains to what will be seen from animals who are subject to radio frequency waves," Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who developed symptoms after a 2017 mission in Moscow, told Politico.