Pentagon investigated suspected Russian directed-energy attacks ...

By BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN, ANDREW DESIDERIO, LARA SELIGMAN and ERIN BANCO04/22/2021 04:30 AM EDTUpdated: 04/22/2021 11:07 AM EDTLink CopiedThe Pentagon has briefed top lawmakers on intelligence surrounding suspected directed-energy attacks against U.S. troops, and officials identified Russia as a likely culprit, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.The Defense Department had been investigating the incidents, including those targeting its personnel around the world, since last year, according to four former national security officials directly involved in the probe.Pentagon officials informed at least two key groups of lawmakers earlier this year, in written form and in-person, about the investigation. The Senate Armed Services Committee was also briefed, the people said.The congressional officials briefed on the incidents said the Pentagon believes that the nature of the directed-energy attacks is similar to those carried out against Americans in Cuba, but was hesitant to draw direct parallels.Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, told POLITICO that he’s awaiting further information on the issue.“I know that we’re going to be having a discussion, a briefing on that, informal — and frankly, it’s going to be confidential,” he said in a brief interview. Another major challenge is that officials can’t always track the devices, which can be small and portable, the people said.A former national security official told POLITICO that, in one instance, officials suspected that directed energy had injured a Marine in Syria; but a Pentagon investigation later concluded that the Marine’s symptoms were the result of food poisoning.Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute who focuses on technology and national security, said the topic can be troublesome from an intelligence standpoint.“The problem is — and I think we saw this at the embassy in Cuba, but honestly with a lot of these stories over the years — it’s just really hard to know why people are getting sick unless you have the weapon or some technical means of knowing if there’s a particular beam being focused on a place,” he said.“We still have no idea what the hell is going on at the embassy in Cuba,” he added.