On Jan. 13, 2026, CNN reported, citing four sources, that the Defense Department has spent more than a year testing a device some investigators think could explain at least some cases of “Havana syndrome.” That’s the name for the headaches, dizziness and hearing problems reported by U.S. diplomats, spies and troops since late 2016. The government calls them anomalous health incidents.

According to the reporting, Homeland Security Investigations bought the device in an undercover operation using Pentagon money, paying an eight-figure sum in the final days of the Biden administration. Tests show it emits pulsed radio-frequency energy. One source said it could fit in a backpack. It reportedly contains Russian components, though it may not be entirely Russian-made. Defense officials briefed the House and Senate intelligence committees late in 2025.

That cuts against the official line at the time. In January 2025, the intelligence community said most of its agencies still judged it very unlikely that a foreign adversary was behind the incidents, though two agencies had shifted their views on a small number of cases. Many affected officials believe the government downplayed evidence of a Russian directed-energy campaign, and Moscow calls such accusations baseless. In June 2026, as one of her last acts as director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard rescinded two of the skeptical Biden-era assessments.

U.S. officials have counted about 1,500 reported cases in 96 countries. Researchers still can’t say how a device like this would cause the injuries described.