Havana Syndrome definitely (maybe) not caused by brain-scrambling energy weapons
- Reference: 1677725944
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/03/02/rays_not_havana_syndrome_cause/
- Source link:
First reported in 2016 by US and Canadian intelligence officers stationed in Cuba, Havana Syndrome was characterized by a variety of unexplained auditory and cognitive symptoms. Individuals [1]reported hearing sudden loud noises that were often accompanied by ear pain. Others reported tinnitus, visual problems, vertigo, and cognitive difficulties. Similar symptoms were later experienced by intelligence personnel and service members around the globe.
A definitive cause was never identified, but a report produced by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [2]found that the symptoms experienced by US diplomats in Cuba was consistent with the use of directed, pulsed radio frequency energy.
[3]
"Many of the chronic, nonspecific symptoms are also consistent with known RF effects, such as dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, cognitive deficits, and memory loss," the report read. "Overall, directed, pulsed RF energy, especially in those with the distinct early manifestations, appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases."
[4]Cubans launching sonic attacks on US embassy? Not what we're hearing, say medical boffins
[5]Who needs sailors? US Navy's latest robo-ship can run itself for 30 days
[6]US Air Force signs $344m deal for hypersonic Mayhem aircraft
[7]Is your datacenter safe from the next X-class solar flare?
However, an [8]assessment [PDF] conducted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that "it is 'very unlikely' a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported anomalous health incidents."
It's worth noting that the term "very unlikely" – when used in this context by the National Intelligence Council – is a technical term that means there's roughly an 80 percent chance it was something else.
[9]
That doesn't mean the symptoms weren't real. In a statement, the Director of National Intelligence emphasized that the "findings do not call into question the very real experiences and symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported," and added that the officers acted appropriately when they reported the symptoms.
"We are sincerely grateful to those who came forward as it helped to not only shape our response but identify areas where we need to improve our medical and counterintelligence protocols," the statement reads. ®
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[1] https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25889/an-assessment-of-illness-in-us-government-employees-and-their-families-at-overseas-embassies
[2] https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25889/an-assessment-of-illness-in-us-government-employees-and-their-families-at-overseas-embassies
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZAAtdTnfDm4bvf8SkDmsswAAAEI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2019/11/01/cuban_sonic_attacks/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/22/us_navy_autonomous_ship/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/air_force_mayhem_contract/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/24/datacenter_solar_storm_emp/
[8] https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Updated_Assessment_of_Anomalous_Health_Incidents.pdf
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZAAtdTnfDm4bvf8SkDmsswAAAEI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: What a relief
Hey Chronic Traumatic Head injuries are a proud American tradition - one president was even famous for "having played too much football(*) without a helmet"
* i.e. 'American football'
i.e. Rugby for schoolgirls
Nothing to see here, move along please
Despite having pointed the finger away from several potential sources over the years, and having a long list of credible accounts and people with confirmed and significant heath problems, there is nothing to see here. Please return to your foreign posts regardless of your safety concerns. Thank you, the US government.
If this report was intended to dispel concerns over it, it is accomplishing the opposite effect. Carefully guarded terms framed to sidestep identifying any actual terms, all tailored to dispel parts of the suspicions without ever identifying the source of any of the know cases. Also positing things in terms that there is one and not multiple sources of these effects and while stridently claiming it totally almost certainly probably wasn't a foreign adversary conducting an attack, also helpfully ducking the question of what caused the incidents in the first place.
I can see a few of these cases being fraud, hypochondriacs or attention seekers, but many other cases were reasonably reliable career staff that are harder to brush off. Too many had verifiable injuries. The reports in Cuba were leaning to organophosphate poisoning at one point, which wouldn't have line of sight issues. During a time when Russia was sending kill squads all over europe with a collection of rather nasty nerve agents. Or the maybe US embassy was spraying for tropical pests and not disclosing the ingredients list.
No idea what actually happened, or the method used, but the careful phrasing leaves them a lot of wiggle room. That's not the kind of report that builds trust.
symptoms are also consistent with known RF effects
" such as dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, cognitive deficits, and memory loss,"
Also consistent with the consumption of recreational vegetable products generally more available in the Caribbean
What a relief
Saying the job has stress levels producing severe and permanent neurological damage is a perfect way to boost morale and staffing numbers.
They should have blamed aliens.