CNN: The U.S. Is Testing A Secret Device

• 13.01.2026, 20:12

It was acquired in a "million-dollar" transaction in the final days of Biden's presidency.

The US Defense Department has been testing for over a year an unknown device acquired in a covert operation that supposedly can cause "Havana syndrome." This was reported by CNN, citing four sources with knowledge of the situation.

The small-sized device, which can fit in a backpack, was purchased by a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during Joe Biden's last days as president for "millions of dollars." The exact cost was not disclosed, but it is known that the amount was "eight figures," the TV station's sources explained.

According to the TV station's source, the device, which can fit in a backpack, generates pulsed radio waves. CNN noted that they are what a number of officials and scientists cite as the cause of the "Havana syndrome." One source also claims that the device contains Russian-made components, but it is not "entirely Russian."

CNN has not been able to find out exactly how U.S. intelligence agencies obtained the device. The ISI has long partnered with the Pentagon for operations around the world. The agency has broad jurisdiction to investigate crimes related to customs violations, including the spread of U.S. technology abroad.

Reporters' interlocutors fear that if the technology does exist and work, it may have spread outside the United States.