Politico | US troops increasingly vulnerable to directed-energy attacks, Pentagon tells lawmakers
- Attacks cause mysterious illness similar to ‘Havana syndrome’ previously reported by American diplomats
- Defence Department briefers identified Russia as a likely culprit but didn’t have smoking gun evidence
The Pentagon warned lawmakers this week about the growing and urgent threat of directed-energy attacks on US troops in the Middle East and elsewhere, according to four people briefed on the matter.
Two Defence Department officials briefed members of the House Armed Service Committee about the phenomenon in a classified setting on Wednesday, the people said, and told lawmakers they are increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of US troops in places such as Syria, Afghanistan and various countries in South America.
Briefers pointed to Russia as a likely culprit, the people told POLITICO, but didn’t have a smoking gun, citing difficulties in attributing the attacks.
Lawmakers were officially notified on April 15 that the House Armed Services briefing would take place on Wednesday. Committee members heard from Jennifer Walsh, the acting Pentagon policy chief, and Griffin Decker, the Pentagon’s director of the emerging threats cell. The official notice, which was obtained by POLITICO, described the briefing as urgent and said it was centred on an “emerging threat”.