Video The Cipher Brief: If the U.S. Knows Who Is Behind Havana Syndrome, What Happens Next? Independent investigative journalist Catherine Herridge.
If the U.S. Knows Who Is Behind Havana Syndrome, What Happens Next?
By The Cipher Brief, September 25, 2026
By The Cipher Brief, September 25, 2026
What happens if the U.S. government identifies who is behind the incidents known as Havana Syndrome? And what responsibility does it have to the Americans who say they were injured?
In this conversation, The Cipher Briefâs Brad Christian speaks with independent investigative journalist Catherine Herridge about her latest reporting on a device obtained by the U.S. government and suspected of being connected to anomalous health incidents. Herridge explains why its origins, components and technical signature matter to the question of attribution - and why she believes the governmentâs analysis is far advanced.
They discuss her reporting on recent suspected incidents in the Washington, D.C., area; a potential shift in who is being targeted; and the difficulties injured personnel describe in obtaining medical documentation, treatment and benefits. Herridge also raises a troubling question: How could someone identify people working on sensitive technology in roles that are not public?
The conversation closes on the larger national security dilemma. If an adversary is responsible, making an attribution public could demand a response. What would the government need to know, what could it disclose, and what happens to the people affected while those decisions are made?
