Sens. Shaheen, Collins urge Pentagon not to sideline Havana Syndrome research

Two senators — 1 Republican and 1 Democrat — warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against relocating and reducing resources for a Pentagon squad charged with investigating alleged "Anomalous Health Incidents," oregon AHI, colloquially known arsenic Havana Syndrome, arguing that specified a determination would undercut attraction for affected unit and stall ongoing research.

In a missive sent to Hegseth connected Monday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine raised concerns astir reported plans wrong the Department of Defense to displacement the cross-functional team, known arsenic a CFT, that coordinates the department's effect to the Havana Syndrome retired of its existent presumption nether the Office of the Under Secretary for Policy. 

While the projected alteration has been described internally arsenic a bureaucratic reorganization, the senators cautioned that it could efficaciously sideline the squad and weaken its quality to probe the underlying origin and place attraction for victims. 

"We beryllium it to these unit to proceed to person attraction portion ongoing probe is done connected attribution and technology, which tin lone beryllium done by the CFT successful its existent form," the senators wrote. 

The Pentagon did not respond to a petition for remark connected whether it had immoderate plans to relocate the CFT. The Washington Examiner archetypal reported officials were considering moving the squad from the portfolio of the nether caput of defence for argumentation to the nether caput of defence for probe and engineering. 

AHI refers to a suite of unexplained neurological symptoms archetypal reported by American unit successful Havana, Cuba, opening successful 2016 and aboriginal elsewhere. Reported symptoms see aggravated headaches, dizziness and vertigo, ringing successful the ears, nausea, imaginativeness problems and debilitating cognitive effects, according to aggregate investigations.

There person been much than 1,500 reports of the information implicit the past decade. An unclassified Government Accountability Office study antecedently identified 334 U.S. authorities unit who sought attraction for AHI done the subject wellness strategy arsenic of 2024.

A elder legislature authoritative told CBS News further cases were reported during the archetypal twelvemonth of the 2nd Trump administration, but declined to supply further details owed to classification concerns. The authoritative spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon delicate nationalist information matters. 

CBS News has reached retired for remark to the Defense Health Agency, which manages aesculapian assessments and treatments for AHI among servicemembers. 

The CFT "has been a precise important assets to the radical successful this cohort," the legislature authoritative said, noting it serves arsenic a "central repository" for victims to entree care, navigate compensation claims done Havana Act legislation, sermon broader probe into directed vigor weapons, oregon adjacent conscionable person a spot wherever their symptoms are taken seriously.   

"Disbanding a cautiously curated squad of experts with decades of acquisition reeks of either incompetence oregon a cover-up," erstwhile CIA operations serviceman 'Adam,' who served successful Havana, told CBS News. "If Secretary Hegseth knew what this would mean for the warfare combatant that helium truthful adamantly wants to support and attraction for, there's nary mode helium would motion off." 

The CFT was established successful the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act to centralize the department's effect to AHI, which has affected hundreds of U.S. authorities personnel, including subject work members, diplomats, and quality officers. Its mandate spans aesculapian care, benefits processing nether the Havana Act, research, and coordination with investigative elements examining imaginable causes.

A multi-year quality assemblage appraisal concluded successful 2024 that a overseas adversary is "very unlikely" to beryllium liable for astir reported AHIs, though immoderate adjacent adept panels person suggested directed, pulsed electromagnetic vigor arsenic a plausible mentation for a subset of cases. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has been conducting a reappraisal of the quality community's erstwhile investigations of the incidents, but it has not been made public.

CBS News antecedently reported the U.S. authorities softly acquired a instrumentality successful precocious 2024 that officials judge whitethorn beryllium connected to AHIs. The Pentagon has been investigating the device, which emits pulsed, radio-frequency energy, and contains Russian-made components, for much than a year. 

Some lawmakers and affected unit person criticized the quality community's anterior conclusions and pressed for much rigorous probe and transparency. In their letter, the senators noted the CFT had not been made disposable to supply briefings connected its findings since 2024, which they said was "not lone a usurpation of the law, but raises concerns implicit the motivations of immoderate wrong your Department connected continuing the CFT's important work."

The legislature authoritative noted that the Defense Department has not mislaid involvement astatine the enactment level. "When the CFT has briefed the Secretary…he has been receptive," but said different bureaucratic levels were little invested successful — and adjacent overtly opposed to — investigating the issue. 

According to the letter, Hegseth, pursuing his confirmation proceeding past year, submitted written answers to the Senate Armed Services Committee committing to "fully enactment DoD facilities continuing to attraction for diplomats, quality professionals and different U.S. authorities employees suffering AHI symptoms." 

The senators successful their missive to Hegseth said immoderate alteration to the CFT would "appear to beryllium retired of enactment with some your priorities and those of the President."

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• Havana Syndrome