(PresidentialInsider.com)- The CIA has reportedly removed its Vienna station chief after her management style was criticized, and she reportedly failed to properly respond to reports of U.S. officials falling sick with “Havana Syndrome.”
According to the Washington Post, which referenced several anonymous former and current U.S. officials, the decision to remove Ambassador Pamela Spratlen was part of an effort to send a message to world leaders to take Havana Syndrome seriously.
The condition is defined by a set of symptoms, ranging from dizziness to nausea, that American intelligence officials believe is being purposely caused by a manmade weapon. U.S. intelligence believes that it may be caused by a focused laser weapon and could be operated by Russians.
A panel from the United States National Academy of Sciences theorized that the weapon uses a “directed, pulsated radiofrequency energy.”
The first case of Havana Syndrome was recorded in 2016 in the United States Embassy in Cuba, and it recently caused a three-hour delay to Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, after an American official fell ill.
According to the Washington Post’s sources, Spratlen was removed for failing to properly address instances of American officials in the region falling sick. It’s a violation of rules that require American officials to report the symptoms so immediate attention and care can be provided.
It is also significant because Vienna, Austria, has long been known as a place where various government agents engage in both espionage and diplomacy. It was famously a hub for spies during the Cold War.
World leaders and negotiators also currently use Vienna as a meeting place for mediated negotiations between the United States and Iran.
You can read the full report here.
