A senior defense department official who attended last year’s NATO summit at Vilnius, Lithuania, had symptoms similar to those reported by U.S. officials who have experienced “Havana syndrome,” the Pentagon confirmed Monday. “I can confirm that a senior DOD official experienced symptoms similar to those reported in anomalous health incidents,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday. Singh referred questions on whether Russia had a role to the intelligence community, which is still investigating the matter.
Quick Read
- A senior Pentagon official experienced symptoms akin to “Havana syndrome” during the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Havana syndrome comprises unexplained health issues first reported by U.S. Embassy staff in Havana in 2016, including head pressure, pain, and dizziness.
- A “60 Minutes” report suggested Russia might be involved in such incidents, including the one at the NATO summit.
- Deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the senior defense official’s symptoms but deferred questions about Russia’s involvement to the intelligence community, which is still investigating.
- The affected official, not part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s delegation, was attending separate meetings at the summit.
- Details on the official’s need for medical care or changes to duties were not disclosed due to medical privacy.
- The U.S. intelligence community previously assessed it as “unlikely” that a foreign adversary caused Havana syndrome, with varying confidence levels across agencies.
- The Pentagon has a registry for reporting such health incidents, and a National Institutes of Health study found no brain injuries or degeneration in affected U.S. personnel.
The Associated Press has the story:
Pentagon: US defense official had ‘Havana syndrome’ symptoms during 2023 NATO summit
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
A senior defense department official who attended last year’s NATO summit at Vilnius, Lithuania, had symptoms similar to those reported by U.S. officials who have experienced “Havana syndrome,” the Pentagon confirmed Monday.
Havana syndrome is still under investigation but includes a string of health problems dating back to 2016, when officials working at the U.S. Embassy in Havana reported sudden unexplained head pressure, head or ear pain, or dizziness.
The injuries to key U.S. government personnel or their families were part of a “60 Minutes” report Sunday that suggested Russia is behind the incidents, one of which took place during the 2023 NATO summit at Vilnius.
“I can confirm that a senior DOD official experienced symptoms similar to those reported in anomalous health incidents,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday. Singh referred questions on whether Russia had a role to the intelligence community, which is still investigating the matter.
The official, who was not identified, was not part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s official traveling delegation to Vilnius, Singh said, but was there “separately, attending meetings that were part of the NATO summit.”
Singh did not say whether the affected defense official had to seek further medical care, retire or cease performing duties, citing medical privacy.
In February the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in its 2024 threat assessment found that it was “unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for causing the mysterious ailments but noted that U.S. intelligence agencies had varying levels of confidence in that assessment.
The Pentagon’s health care system has established a registry for employees or dependents to report such incidents. In March, however, a five-year study by the National Institutes of Health found no brain injuries or degeneration among U.S. diplomats and other government employees who had Havana syndrome symptoms.
