A newly released Senate intelligence report has criticized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for its handling of cases related to the mysterious health condition known as Havana Syndrome.
The declassified report, released on Friday, alleges that the agency's approach has "greatly complicated" the treatment and understanding of the condition, which has affected U.S. personnel and their families around the globe.
Newsweek contacted the CIA on Friday via its online form for comment.
Why It Matters
As reported by Newsweek, the U.S. government has previously faced criticism for not taking the issue of Havana Syndrome seriously enough and the report would appear to confirm this.
According to the 18-page report, titled "Review of CIA's Efforts to Provide Facilitated Medical Care and Benefits for Individuals Affected by Anomalous Health Incidents [AHIs]," the CIA's response has been marred by inadequate communication and "messaging challenges," inconsistent medical support, delayed compensation and a dismissive attitude toward affected individuals.
These failures have hindered efforts to provide proper treatment and left many victims struggling to access benefits.
"CIA has provided benefits and compensation to many AHI reporters, but ease of access to these programs has been inconsistent and affected by CIA's organizational position on AHIs," the report states.
What To Know
Havana Syndrome, first reported in 2016 by U.S. diplomats in Cuba, is characterized by symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, cognitive difficulties and even possible brain injuries.
While the exact cause remains elusive, theories have ranged from targeted microwave attacks by Russia to environmental factors. The syndrome has since been reported in other locations, leading to further concerns about its scope and origins.
As reported by Newsweek, more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere are now thought to have been affected by Havana Syndrome.
A study published by the National Institutes of Health in March 2024 offered no further insight into the causes of the condition.
However, a joint investigation published earlier this year alleged that a Russian military intelligence unit known had experimented with "exactly the kind of weaponized technology experts suggest is a plausible cause for the mysterious medical condition," and raised further questions over the U.S. intelligence community's confidence in dismissing foreign intelligence influence.
In response to the issue, the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act of 2021 was signed by President Joe Biden in October 2021.
The Senate Intelligence Committee report released Friday stated in its findings that: "In sum, the absence of a clear case definition for AHIs, uncertainty surrounding the origin of AHIs, and CIA's evolving organizational position have greatly complicated CIA's ability to consistently and transparently facilitate medical care, provide compensation and other benefits, and communicate clearly about AHIs to the workforce."
The report revealed that despite a growing number of cases, the agency was slow to standardize protocols for identifying and treating victims. The report stated that the CIA facilitated AHI-related medical care for nearly 100 CIA-affiliated incidents, but many individuals faced obstacles to timely and sufficient care
In addition, the Senate committee highlighted discrepancies in how different agencies, including the Department of Defense, handled Havana Syndrome cases. This lack of coordination further complicated efforts to provide a unified response.
"AHI clinical research studies have identified unexplained clusters of symptoms, but CIA has stopped collecting clinical data on AHls while DOD research efforts continue," the report said.
Overall, the report found that the CIA's response to AHIs negatively affected AHI reporters and led to a trust deficit with portions of its workforce.
"The Committee assesses that, since CIA's analytic position is that it is "very unlikely--that a foreign adversary is responsible for reported AHIs, then counterintelligence analysts' involvement in such determinations has made it difficult at times for AHI reporters' claims to be adjudicated on their individual merits," the report said.
"Additionally, many AHI reporters experienced a significant moral injury as a result of how they perceived CIA's treatment of them."
Previous investigations concluded that it was unlikely that Russia or another foreign adversary had used microwaves or other forms of directed energy to attack American officials. As reported by Newsweek and The Associated Press (AP), the agency has faced criticism from those who have reported cases and from advocates who accuse the government of long dismissing the array of ailments.
What People Are Saying
CIA Director William Burns previously defended the agency's efforts to address Havana Syndrome and emphasized the CIA's commitment to supporting affected personnel vowing to prioritize their care and recovery.
Burns said: "I want to be absolutely clear: these findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that U.S. government personnel and their family members — including CIA's own officers — have reported while serving our country," said Burns in a statement, as reported by AP.
"We will continue to remain alert to any risks to the health and wellbeing of Agency officers, to ensure access to care, and to provide officers the compassion and respect they deserve."
While the Senate report has brought renewed attention to Havana Syndrome, many questions remain unanswered.
The IC committee said: "The Committee wants to emphasize that CIA's facilitated medical care and benefit programs need not be locked in stone. As the U.S. government learns more about AHls, CIA can and should modify both the programs and benefits offered as well as the eligibility criteria and application processes for those programs.
"In the meantime, as research continues, the IC must err on the side of providing more facilitated medical care and support to it employees and other affiliated personnel rather than less. This should be the default position for all of CIA's AHI-related efforts. "
What Happens Next
The Senate report concludes with recommendations for the CIA going forward: "CIA should develop written policies for medical care and benefit programs associated with AHIs and other counterintelligence-related health incidents that include clear eligibility criteria and adjudication processes for determining how access to such programs will be provided to individuals who seek these benefits."
"These policies should be made available to CIA employees and the congressional intelligence committees. As research into AHIs progresses, CIA should periodically review these policies to ensure that these benefit programs and the criteria used to determine eligibility reflect the U.S. government's latest understanding of AHIs," the report states.