Changing Hearts and Brains: SOF Must Prepare Now for Neurowarfare
Changing Hearts and Brains: SOF Must Prepare Now for Neurowarfare By Dr. Shannon Houck, COL John Crisafulli, Lt Col Joshua Gramm, Maj Brian Branagan The timeworn “changing hearts and minds” idiom may soon take on a more literal meaning as we confront the weaponization of neurotechnology. In December 2016, CIA officers and American and Canadian diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba reported hearing pulsing sounds, sometimes accompanied by pressure sensations in their heads. Neurological symptoms followed - symptoms like headaches, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, fatigue, and hearing and vision loss. [i] Over 40 US government employees were affected; 24 were diagnosed with brain damage. These were not isolated incidents. Similar reports have emerged from US personnel in China, Russia, Uzbekistan, and CIA officers working in several different countries. [ii] Two separate cases in the Washington DC area are currently under investigation after US officials suffered from the same