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Speaker 1: Imagine this for a second. You're an American diplomat, maybe

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an intelligence officer or a soldier, and your station overseas.

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You're doing your job in a busy foreign city.

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Speaker 2: Right You're on high alert exactly.

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Speaker 1: You're scanning the crowds for threats, the usual stuff, a

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surveillance team, maybe a bomb, a suspicious package.

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Speaker 2: Left somewhere, all the things you're trained for.

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Speaker 1: All the things you're trained for. But the attack, when

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it finally comes, is it's completely invisible. It's just this sudden,

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crippling wave of vertigo and then a crushing head pressure,

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like your skull is being squeezed in a giant vice.

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And there's a sound, a sound only you can hear,

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a high pitched shriek.

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Speaker 2: And after that, permanent brain damage.

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Speaker 1: Permanent all of it delivered without a single blast, without

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a bullet, without even a single person you can point

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to as your attacker.

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Speaker 2: That chilling reality. That's been the absolute core of the

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Havana syndrome mystery for what nearly a decade.

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Speaker 1: Now, it feels like it.

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Speaker 2: Officially it's called anomalous health incidents or ahis, but this

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phenomenon has plagued US personnel all over the globe, and

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it challenges every single notion we have of a covert attack.

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For years, the whole conversation was just trapped in the

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cycle of speculation.

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Speaker 1: Oh absolutely, is it mass hysteria, is it you know, crickets?

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Is it environmental?

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Speaker 2: Or is it a weapon? That was always the big question.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to thrilling threads. Today we are pulling on the

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most crucial wire yet in this entire tangled story, because

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the biggest missing piece, the thing that was always missing,

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was the weapon, the tangible proof, the tangible mechanism that

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could actually cause a traumatic brain injury a TBI while

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staying completely totally covert. And today that missing piece, it's

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potentially been found.

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Speaker 2: And our look into this today is based on while

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a stack of incredible sources, it really synthesizes years of

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investigative work, particularly by journalists at the Insider in sixty

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minutes incredible work. It's just phenomenal, and it all culminates

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in this recent absolutely explosive reporting from CNN. So our

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mission today is really to unpack this new tangible development,

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the Pentagon's acquisition of a device suspected to be the

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source of these ahis.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so here's the initial shock factor. This is the

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nugget that really changes the entire game. The US government,

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through a secret undercover operation, now has.

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Speaker 3: A device, an actual device in their hands, in their hands,

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a device that produces pulsed radio waves, the exact energy

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signature that has been suspected for years and years.

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Speaker 2: It's portable, it can fit into a backpack, which is key,

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and it contains Russian components. This acquisition, which apparently costs

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millions of dollars, it moves the entire discussion from abstract

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theory to actual physical evidence that's sitting in a lab

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being examined right now.

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Speaker 1: It's a game changer, it is.

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Speaker 2: So we're going to explore how this single piece of

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hardware could resolve the central paradox of Havana syndrome.

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Speaker 1: But before we get totally lost in the tech and

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the specks of this weapon, I think we have to

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ground this conversation in the human costs.

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Speaker 2: Because without really understanding the gravity of the trauma these

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people went through, it's just too easy to slip back

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into that initial public dismissal, thinking of this as just

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some strange, temporary illness.

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Speaker 1: I agree completely. We need to start with the origin

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story to really grasp the scale of it. So the

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first wave of symptoms, it emerged nearly ten years ago now,

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right around late twenty sixteen.

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Speaker 2: That's right. It started with US diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba.

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They began reporting these very strange, very acute episodes.

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Speaker 1: But it absolutely did not stop there, As all the

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source material confirms the case is just they proliferated. They

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popped up worldwide, targeting this very specific group of people, spies, diplomats, troops,

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YEP in Europe, in Asia, and there were even some

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cases reported domestically right here in the US.

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Speaker 2: And we really have to emphasize this reported trauma. It

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goes so far beyond a simple headache or just a

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moment of discomfort.

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Speaker 1: It's not just feeling unwelly well.

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Speaker 2: Not at all. Victims report vertigo, sure and disorientation, crushing headaches, yes,

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But the long term diagnosis is the critical part. They

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suffer from significant neurological symptoms that are definitive signs of

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sustained trauma. This is not temporary distress, This is chronic

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life altering injury.

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Speaker 1: That distinction right there between an acute symptom and a

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chronic injury is so vital. The sources cite traumatic brain

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injuries TBI. I mean, that's the kind of injury we

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associate with a car crash or explosion.

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Speaker 2: Sure, blunt force trauma, right, and.

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Speaker 1: Yet these victims they experience none of that. The physical

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ailments are genuinely, profoundly debilitating.

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Speaker 2: Just look at some of the examples cited in the investigation.

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We're talking about individuals who are at the absolute top

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of their game, top tier intelligence officers, foreign service personnel,

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who are now rendered severely incapacitated.

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Speaker 1: It's tragic.

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Speaker 2: The most extreme example is of one victim who is

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now legally blind and requires the constant use of a

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weighted vest just to manage their equilibrium.

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Speaker 1: Just a function, weighted best.

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Speaker 2: A weighted best just to stay up right. That single detail,

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to me, should just destroy any lingering notion that this

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is somehow psychological.

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Speaker 1: It absolutely speaks to the severity of the damage to

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the vestibular system, to this central nervous system. I mean,

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when an invisible force can make someone legally blind and

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require them to use constant physical aids, you are dealing

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with a mechanism that has inflicted permanent quantifiable physiological damage exactly,

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and that's precisely why that initial skepticism was so deeply,

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deeply insulting to the victims.

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Speaker 2: Who were coming forward, and that leads us right to

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the voice of the victims themselves. We have the account

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of Adam, who was the former CIA officer identified as patient.

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Speaker 1: Zero, the first American who was officially medically evacuated from

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Cuba after suffering.

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Speaker 2: These symptoms, right and his experience. It gives us this

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visceral understanding of the attacks sudden debilitating nature.

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Speaker 1: Adam recounts his experience as stark and definitely a scary moment.

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He talks about the immediate feeling of an existential threat.

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Speaker 2: He was in danger.

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Speaker 1: He specifically remembers texting his brother in real time as

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it was happening, thinking he might not make it out

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of there. Just think about that for a second. You're

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in the middle of a covert operation and your last

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thought might be about contacting your family because of some

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invisible force that's attacking your brain.

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Speaker 2: And the physical description he gives is so key to

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understanding the weapons effect. He described it as extreme head pressure,

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crushing your pain.

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Speaker 1: Crushing your pain.

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Speaker 2: But what's particularly terrifying, is how he describes it. It

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wasn't instantaneous, like a bomb going off, he said, it

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ratcheted up, It intensified over fifteen to twenty minutes until

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he finally started blacking out.

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Speaker 1: That deliberate, controlled ramping up of pressure. I mean that

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suggests a weapon that is highly targeted, maybe even adjustable,

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is not just some random burst of energy.

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Speaker 2: No, it's controlled.

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Speaker 1: And the temporary loss of consciousness, the blacking out, that's

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the brain's immediate catastrophic response to an over whelming disruption.

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It really highlights the physiological chaos being caused by something

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that is actively short circuiting the brain's function through this

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localized pressure.

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Speaker 2: It feels like a deliberate process designed to incapacitate, maybe

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even permanently.

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Speaker 1: Which brings us back to the implications. The profound implication

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of these symptoms, rendering these top operatives dysfunctional at its

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worst is what finally forced the US government to accept

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that they had to take action.

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Speaker 2: Right it set the stage for this extraordinary undercover operation

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actually find the physical mechanism. Just can't ignore a high

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volume of your top personnel all suffering from documented TBI

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without any visible cause.

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Speaker 1: So if the symptoms are that profound and the initial

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reports were largely dismissed, the only way forward was to

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find the hardware, to find the proof, a piece of

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hardware that could prove the victims weren't lying. And that

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brings us to the centerpiece of this entire deep dive. Ye,

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the acquisition itself.

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Speaker 2: And the sheer magnitude of the symptoms is the sole

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justification for the Lanks. The US government went to find

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this weapon. I mean, this was not some routine intelligence purchase.

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Speaker 1: Let's unpack the details of this because it's a truly

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remarkable acquisition. The source material reveals a secret operation and

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it was led jointly. You have the Pentagon focused on

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military threats and the Toartment of Homeland Security.

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Speaker 2: DHS DHS focusing on security vulnerabilities at home.

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Speaker 1: Right, So this was a high sakes undercover operation. It

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costs millions of dollars, and crucially, it was executed in

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the waning days of the Biden administration.

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Speaker 2: The joint nature of that operation is very telling. It

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signifies that the US government sees this not just as

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an attack on personnel abroad, but as a potential national

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security threat that could be deployed domestically, especially with those

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scattered reports of symptoms within the US. Exactly, it demanded

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a cross agency, all hands on deck kind of effort.

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Speaker 1: But we have to acknowledge the caveat here, which the

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CNN reporting really stresses. US officials have apparently spent a

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year examining this device, and they still have not definitively

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concluded that it is one hundred percent linked to these

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mysterious health incidents.

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Speaker 2: And that's the classic intelligence hedge, right, they need definitive,

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rock solid proof of function and more importantly, an undeniable

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paper trail back to the adversary before they make a

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public accusation.

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Speaker 1: An accusation that could spark a major international crisis.

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Speaker 2: Of course, however, the report's most tantalizing line is the

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necessary balance to that caution. It says, there is new

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evidence suggesting that it potentially was the weapon used in

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the attacks. The proof is mounting, even if the public

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conclusion isn't sealed yet.

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Speaker 1: That tension is exactly where this whole narrative lives. But

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it's the makeup of the device that has resolved years

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of technological speculation. It's what's driving this huge institutional shift.

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This piece of hardware provides the physical confirmation that investigators

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have been desperate for.

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Speaker 2: We finally reached the check that box moment. The makeup

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of this acquired device, it aligns perfectly with the three

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crucial characteristics operational and scientific, that investigators had theorized were

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necessary for these AHI attacks to even be possible.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so let's start with the operational paradox. Any hostile

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act needs to be mobile, and it needs to be covert.

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So let's tackle the second characteristic. First, portability. How do

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you create TBI level damage with a device that's highly

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mobile and doesn't need a truck or some giant fixed

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antenna installation, And.

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Speaker 2: The sources confirmed the device is relatively small. It can

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fit into a backpack.

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Speaker 1: That single detail, to me, is a geopolitical game changer.

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It explains the operational success of the attacks. For years,

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intelligence officials struggled with the physics of it. They thought

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you'd need this massive energy source to inflict a TBI.

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The fact that the Pentagon is now testing a functional

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device that fits into a standard backpack suggests that the

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operational requirement for covert mobile deployment has been met. This

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shifts non kinetic warfare from science fiction into street level reality.

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Speaker 2: Exactly. You don't need a massive fixation anymore. You can

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have a highly lethal, non kinetic weapon that an operative

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can just carry on to a street corner, or.

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Speaker 1: Use from a hotel window, or even just passed by

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a consulate in some suburban neighborhood. It offers the maximum

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flexibility for targeting.

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Speaker 2: Which brings us to the first and arguably the most

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important scientific characteristic, the energy source itself. The device produces

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pulsed radio waves.

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Speaker 1: And this is the specific mechanism that US officials and

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specialized academics have been speculating about for so long. They've

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been saying this was the precise cause of the symptoms.

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Speaker 2: This is there. I told you so moment right.

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Speaker 1: We've used the term pulsed radio waves a lot, but

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for you listening, we need to dive into the physics

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of this for a second. Why is pulsed energy the

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critical differentiator? I mean, we're not talking about continuous microwave

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radiation like you'd find in a microwave oven, which would

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generate heat and cause burns, And.

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Speaker 2: That's the vital distinction. Continuous waves generate thermal damage, heat

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damage which is easily detectable. Pulsed waves. On the other hand,

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they deliver these rapid, high intensity bursts of energy that

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are non thermal. They create mechanical effects inside the body,

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specifically inside the cranial cavity.

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Speaker 1: And the mechanism we believe is at play here is

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often referred to as the Fray effect, sometimes called the

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microwave hearing effect. Tell us what that is and how

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it explains what the victims reported hearing a loud, high

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pitched noise that nobody else around them could perceive.

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Speaker 2: The Fray effect is this phenomenon where certain frequencies of

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pulsed microwave or radiofrequency energy cause a thermolastic wave inside

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the head. So when these tiny rapid pulses of energy

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hit the soft tissues of the brain and the skull,

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they cause this rapid, minuscule thermal expansion.

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Speaker 1: So small it doesn't cause heat damage exactly.

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Speaker 2: It's so small it doesn't burn you, but it's large

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enough to generate an acoustic shock wave inside your own head.

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Speaker 1: So that sudden expansion is creating a pressure wave. It's

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I got kind of internal clapping sound right inside.

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Speaker 2: Your skull precisely, and that internal pressure wave travels through

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the soft tissue and is picked up by the inner ear,

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specifically the coke lee, which then interprets it as sound.

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This perfectly explains the victim's consistent reports of hearing a

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high pitched metallic shriek or clicking or grinding that seems

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to come from nowhere and is often directional.

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Speaker 1: So the sound itself is just a byproduct of the

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pressure that's being created inside the skull.

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Speaker 2: It's the evidence of the attack happening, and.

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Speaker 1: If the pulses are strong enough, that intense directed pressure wave,

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the very same one that's causing the sound, is also

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causing the mechanical stress that results in concussion like symptoms, vertigo,

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and ultimately a traumatic brain injury.

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Speaker 2: It's stealth trauma. The damage is all internal, not external.

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There's no visible kinetic energy deployed.

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Speaker 1: At all, and that's how the weapon achieves deniability, uses

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these non thermal effects to cause traumatic damage completely least

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circumventing the need for kinetic force. This has been the

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technological white whale for investigators.

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Speaker 2: For years, and now we have a physical piece of

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hardware that verifies the exact energy signature and the exact

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mechanism so.

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Speaker 1: The device is small, it fits in a backpack, uses

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pulse radio waves that align perfectly with the fray effect,

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and we know it can cause TBI. That just leads

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the third characteristic, which is kind of the geopolitical smoking gun.

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Speaker 2: The third piece of evidence that confirms the urgency and

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significance of this acquisition is the device's origin. While the

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source material notes that it is not entirely Russian in origin,

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it is comprised of various Russian.

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Speaker 1: Components, which raises, as the reports say, significant concerns and

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questions about a foreign adversaries potential role.

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Speaker 2: A role in developing, utilizing, or at the very least

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supplying the underlying technology for this weapon.

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Speaker 1: That is the perfect segue, because now we have the

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mechanism and we have the signature. This confirms that all

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those journalistic deep dives that preceded this act position, especially

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the ones linking these attacks to Russian intelligence, were likely

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on the right track the whole time.

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Speaker 2: The speculation has been replaced by a physical, tangible object

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sitting in a lab. This acquisition is the operational confirmation

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of years of painstaking, often dismissed, investigative.

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Speaker 1: Work, and the focus now shifts directly from the technology

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to the suspected actor.

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Speaker 2: Right. This brings us back to the extensive reporting done

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by the Insider in collaboration with sixty Minutes. Years before

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the Pentagon ever got their hands on this device, they

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had already laid the groundwork linking these attacks to a

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specific and very aggressive unit of Russian military intelligence.

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Speaker 1: That's named the Adversary. The key suspect identified in the

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investigation is Unit two nine one five five, a very

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shadowy unit that operates under the Russian Military Intelligence the

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GRU and.

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Speaker 2: Unit two nine one five five is not a reconnaissance unit.

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They're not spies in the traditional sense. They are notorious

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for being the gru's black operations arm. They specialize in

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kinetic operations.

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Speaker 1: Their official brief, according to the sources, is to kill

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people and they blow things up, often with a spectacular,

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undeniable force.

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Speaker 2: Their resume is shocking. It includes the poisoning of Sergey

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and Julia Scripol in Salisbury, England using the sophisticated nerve

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agent novachok. I remember that, and they're attempted Coup and Montenegro.

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They are known for these high impact, violent acts that

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are designed to sew chaos or just eliminate targets.

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Speaker 1: Which naturally raises a really critical question for US. If

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Unit twenty one one five to five is the kinetic

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operations team, the guys who blow things up, why would

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they suddenly pivot to something so subtle, so highly technical,

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and well non lethal at least not immediately.

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Speaker 2: Why a directed energy weapon.

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Speaker 1: It's a massive jump in capability and in doctrine, and

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I think the answer has to lie in the strategic

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value of deniability.

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Speaker 2: Hmmm, that makes sense.

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Speaker 1: The old kinetic operations, the poisoning, the bombing, they always

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left a signature, a chemical signature, forensic evidence which eventually

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led to attribution, just like it did in Salisbury. But

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a non kinetic TBI attack, it leaves no trace. It

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is the perfect weapon for twenty first century shadow warfare.

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Speaker 2: And the investigative trail connecting Unit twenty nine one to

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five to five to this specific technology is surprisingly robust.

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It actually extends back even before the twenty sixteen Havana incidents.

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It connects through two crucial types of evidence.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so first there's the documentation trail. The investigation found

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concrete evidence that Unit twenty nine to one to five

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to five was actively involved in scientific research into directed

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energy weapons.

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Speaker 2: They had the internal documents from their inboxes to prove it.

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This demonstrates not just the capability, but the strategic interest

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in diversifying their lesal portfolio beyond just poisons and explosives.

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Speaker 1: It shows a real shift in thinking within the GRU.

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They recognized the need for a weapon that could achieve

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the same result incapacitating or sidelining an adversaries operative, but

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without all the diplomatic fallout of a traditional traceable attack.

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Speaker 2: Directed energy provided that perfect bridge.

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Speaker 1: But the second piece of evidence is to me even

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more compelling because it directly links their operatives to the

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victims years before the world ever even heard the term

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Havana syndrome.

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Speaker 2: It established as a clearer sinister pattern.

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Speaker 1: It really does. The investigation was able to pinpoint two

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GRU operatives from Unit two nine, one, five to five

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and two different cities at two different time periods even

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before twenty sixteen, specifically to Bilisi, Georgia in twenty fourteen.

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Speaker 2: And Frankfurt, Germany also around twenty fourteen and.

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Speaker 1: Frankfurt, Germany also around twenty fourteen, And these locations weren't

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random in both Chibilisi and Frankfurt. There were victims who

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later succumbed to those exact neurological symptoms, those traumatic brain injuries,

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and these weren't just any victims. There were highly valued

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US assets, one.

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Speaker 2: From the Department of Justice and the other from US

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intelligence agencies.

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Speaker 1: And their accounts were specific. They alleged that these GRU

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operatives were and this is a quote, skulking around their

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areas of operation, talking around. In Chavinisi, the operative was

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seen near the victim's residents. In the suburban community. In Frankfurt,

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the operative was located near the consulate. The operatives were there,

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and then the invisible trauma followed. This established a pattern

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dating all the way back to twenty fourteen, showing that

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the attacks were far more widespread and started much earlier

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than the US government had initially acknowledged.

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Speaker 2: So if we synthesize all of this, you have investigative

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journalism linking unit two nine one five five to scientific

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research on directed energy weapons, and it places their personnel

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near Prehavana syndrome victims years ago. Now, the Pentagon acquires

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a device that matches the technology is portable enough for

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these kinds of covert operations, and it contains Russian components.

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Speaker 1: The connections are no longer theoretical. The existence of the

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hardware is the final compelling piece of proof.

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Speaker 2: It creates this incredibly compelling narrative. The device the Pentagon

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is now testing is likely the operational realization of the

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very directed energy research that Unit twenty nine to one

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POT five was known to be conducting.

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Speaker 1: And this acquisition is the indication for years of reporting

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and I think more importantly for the victims.

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Speaker 2: That vindication, though it comes mixed with some intense frustration,

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especially given the history of institutional dismissal that the victims

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have faced, and.

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Speaker 1: That brings us to the shifting official stance and the

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skepticism that reign for so so long.

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Speaker 2: The years of denial are some massive painful part of

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this story the victims. They feel largely that both the

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Trump and Biden administrations initially just dismissed their reports, their symptoms,

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their urgent calls for accountability.

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Speaker 1: I mean, imagine suffering a debilitating TBI while you're serving

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your country and being told by the very government you

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serve that the injury is psychosomatic, that it's all on

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your head.

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Speaker 2: Horrifying.

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Speaker 1: That skepticism was often reinforced by political and media figures

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who just found the concept of an invisible TBI weapon

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too fantastic, too sci fi.

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Speaker 2: And we saw that specific example cited in the sources.

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Then Senator jd Vance's churlish comment in response to the

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initial investigative report that linked the attacks to Russia. He

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publicly stated, the story feels like a lot of journalists

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have lost their minds.

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Speaker 1: That level of political skepticism was a convenient deflection, wasn't it.

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It allowed the government to avoid addressing this terrifying, unproven

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weapon that would demand a huge geopolitical response.

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Speaker 2: Well, the investigation noted that when they presented their evidence,

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you know, the operatives' locations, the scientific documents, nobody could

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knock down what we did. The pushback wasn't based on

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disproving the facts. It was just this repeated attempt to

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deflect by saying, we still don't have any credible evidence.

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Speaker 1: The bar for proof was set impossibly high because the

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political consequences of accepting the truth were just so enormous.

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Speaker 2: And look, the intelligence community operates with extreme caution, and

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rightly so. To officially confirm the existence of a foreign

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developed directed energy weapon that was used against US personnel

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is tantamount to declaring an active aggression.

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Speaker 1: That requires a level of certainty that is just incredibly

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difficult to achieve in the world of espionage.

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Speaker 2: But the tide has finally turned. Institutionally, we've seen a

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major movement in the official narrative, specifically within the Intelligence

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Community Assessment the ICA.

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Speaker 1: Right, so, the ICA released an assessment in January of

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twenty twenty five where two agencies, one of them widely

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reported to be the National Security Agency of the NSA,

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they altered their previous skepticism.

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Speaker 2: And the new conclusion was a fifty to fifty chance

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that such a directed energy device could actually exist.

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Speaker 1: Now, a fifty to fifty chance might sound inconclusive to

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you listening, but in the world of intelligence assessments, moving

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from near zero confidence to a coin flip is a

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seismic shift.

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Speaker 2: It's huge. It signifies that the physical evidence, the reports

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of the device acquisition, the consistent symptom profiles, the forensic linkages,

445
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it has all become overwhelming enough to force a fundamental

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change in institutional belief. The denial is just no longer sustainable, and.

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Speaker 1: One agency when even further than the fifty to fifty mark,

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we're told one specific intil diligence agency went on to

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state that the device may have been used against Americans.

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Speaker 2: Abroad, and that level of institutional admission is unprecedented. It

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suggests they believe the attribution is strong, even if the

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consensus needed for a full public declaration remains elusive.

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Speaker 1: And it's not just the intelligence agencies that are quietly

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moving the goalposts. Congress is also involved. We have the

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report from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from

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last year, which concluded that it is increasingly likely that

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some cases of ahies are caused by a foreign adversary.

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Speaker 2: So this illustrates a major institutional shift from outright dismissal

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to cautious acceptance across multiple branches of government, and.

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Speaker 1: The acquisition of this physical device has served as the

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ultimate catalyst forcing the official narrative to finally catch up

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to the reality that journalists and victims had been insisting

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on for years.

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Speaker 2: But this institutional lag is precisely what compounds the victim

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community's suffering and their suspicion. And this brings us way

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back to Adam, to Patients zero and his core concern

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regards the timeline of all this.

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Speaker 1: Adam expressed this profound frustration. He said, if this device

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has been in play for well over a year, meaning

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the government already had the physical evidence in hand through

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the Pentagon's acquisition, then why did the ICA in January

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twenty twenty five still basically maintain a fifty to fifty

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assessment or in some cases say it's not real.

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Speaker 2: That discrepancy suggests a profound tension or even a potential

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cover up aspect. As Adam put it, the government had

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the physical mechanism of attack in their possession, yet the

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official assessment, published over a year later, still played down

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the reality of the weapon.

479
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,440
Speaker 1: The tension here is between the intelligence community's need for

480
00:24:38,519 --> 00:24:42,240
absolute certainty before publicizing a weapon system that could ignite

481
00:24:42,279 --> 00:24:43,960
an international crisis.

482
00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,880
Speaker 2: And the victim communities justified concern that information was withheld

483
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,599
from them, information that could have led to faster medical breakthroughs,

484
00:24:51,599 --> 00:24:54,400
to recognition, to assistance for their injuries.

485
00:24:54,599 --> 00:24:59,119
Speaker 1: They feel betrayed by the institutional desire for caution trumping

486
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,079
their immediate documented suffering.

487
00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,519
Speaker 2: It's a painful paradox. The device brings vindication for the

488
00:25:04,559 --> 00:25:07,200
existence of the attacks but at the same time, it

489
00:25:07,319 --> 00:25:12,400
raises these profound questions about institutional failure and opacity during

490
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,519
a time of crisis for US personnel.

491
00:25:14,759 --> 00:25:16,640
Speaker 1: Okay, so now let's zoom out and look at the

492
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:21,039
bigger picture. Why is a backpack sized weapon causing such

493
00:25:21,079 --> 00:25:23,599
a stir in the geopolitical arena? What is the real

494
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,880
strategic significance of his courtability?

495
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,000
Speaker 2: Well, the operational question of portability was the main reason

496
00:25:29,079 --> 00:25:33,279
for years of dismissal. Intelligence officials just couldn't reconcile TBI

497
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,720
level damage with a mobile, concealed device. The fact that

498
00:25:36,759 --> 00:25:39,920
the device fits in a backpack fundamentally changes the entire

499
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:41,079
strategic environment.

500
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,240
Speaker 1: It confirms that a sophisticated, damaging attack capability is now mobile,

501
00:25:45,559 --> 00:25:47,680
It's stealthy, and it's easily deniable.

502
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:53,359
Speaker 2: This completely transforms the rules of engagement in covert operations. Traditionally,

503
00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:57,920
a diplomatic officer might worry about electronic eavesdropping or physical.

504
00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 1: Surveillance normal spy games.

505
00:25:59,319 --> 00:26:02,880
Speaker 2: Right now, the threat is existential and it's personal. They

506
00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:04,920
have to worry about someone walking past them on the

507
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:08,440
street with a backpack capable of delivering a traumatic, permanent

508
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,839
brain injury. The battlefield is now any busy sidewalk in

509
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:14,680
any city in the world.

510
00:26:14,559 --> 00:26:19,519
Speaker 1: And this leads directly to the core geopolitical concern proliferation.

511
00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,680
If this technology proves viable and if Russia is confirmed

512
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,799
to have developed or successfully used it, which the sources

513
00:26:26,799 --> 00:26:29,920
are strongly suggesting, the intelligence community is warning that it

514
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:31,240
could be proliferated.

515
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,359
Speaker 2: That is the terrifying implication. Proliferation means that several foreign

516
00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:39,119
countries could obtain this exact capability. Suddenly, this isn't just

517
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,640
a US Russias shadow conflict being played out in high

518
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:42,440
risk capitals.

519
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,400
Speaker 1: Correct. We could be talking about state actors globally and

520
00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,599
maybe even non state actors eventually gaining the ability to

521
00:26:48,599 --> 00:26:54,640
target US personnel, diplomats, military attaches, intelligence officers abroad.

522
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:59,559
Speaker 2: With a highly effective, invisible means of incapacitation. A relatively

523
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,759
minor regional power could acquire a technology that gives them

524
00:27:02,759 --> 00:27:07,039
the capability to permanently sideline a high value American target

525
00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,559
without ever drawing clear military retaliation, and.

526
00:27:10,519 --> 00:27:13,839
Speaker 1: The analysis of the intent, if it's proven, suggests a

527
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,480
new type of covert conflict. This is warfare that causes

528
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:22,559
traumatic brain injury and permanent incapacitation without traditional kinetic means.

529
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,720
It blurs the lines of what constitutes an act of

530
00:27:25,759 --> 00:27:27,839
war or high level espionage.

531
00:27:28,079 --> 00:27:31,119
Speaker 2: Think about the strategic advantage that gives you. You disable

532
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,160
the target, you gain a massive intelligence advantage, but you

533
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:36,960
never give the victim or the victim's government the clear,

534
00:27:37,079 --> 00:27:40,559
irrefutable evidence needed to escalate or retaliate effectively.

535
00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,559
Speaker 1: Maximum deniability with maximum impact exactly.

536
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,279
Speaker 2: That's why this backpack device is perhaps the most alarming

537
00:27:46,319 --> 00:27:49,119
development in intelligence warfare in decades.

538
00:27:48,799 --> 00:27:51,000
Speaker 1: And that's why the acquisition of the physical device is

539
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,000
so monumental. It provides the first concrete piece of evidence

540
00:27:54,039 --> 00:27:56,839
to counter that deniability, and it shifts the burden of

541
00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:58,319
proof back to the adversary.

542
00:27:58,519 --> 00:28:01,920
Speaker 2: But ultimately, this device acquisition is a beacon of hope

543
00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:05,920
for the victim community. Despite all the geopolitical implications and

544
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,839
the frustration over the institutional failures. Their immediate hope is

545
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:11,359
personal and it's medical.

546
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:12,960
Speaker 1: They want answers for their own health.

547
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,799
Speaker 2: They do. They hope that the acquisition and testing of

548
00:28:15,839 --> 00:28:18,839
this device will bear fruit. They want it to answer

549
00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:22,079
key questions, not just for accountability, but to lead to

550
00:28:22,519 --> 00:28:24,079
some breakthroughs to help us with.

551
00:28:24,039 --> 00:28:28,119
Speaker 1: Our health and understanding the specific mechanism the pulse radio waves.

552
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,400
That is the crucial first step. It's the first step

553
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:36,240
toward developing countermeasures, protective gear, and effective medical treatments for

554
00:28:36,279 --> 00:28:39,799
these traumatic brain injuries that have been incorrectly categorized or

555
00:28:39,839 --> 00:28:41,640
just dismissed for far too long.

556
00:28:41,839 --> 00:28:45,079
Speaker 2: This entire saga, the years of denial, the tenacity of

557
00:28:45,079 --> 00:28:49,519
the investigative journalists, the secret Pentagon operation, and the final

558
00:28:49,599 --> 00:28:53,799
revelation of a backtack sized weapon. It's a staggering reminder

559
00:28:53,839 --> 00:28:56,960
of how modern conflict is evolving beyond our recognition.

560
00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,599
Speaker 1: The rules of espionage have completely changed. The image of

561
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,759
the spy trading secrets in the dark is being replaced

562
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:08,599
by the victims suffering debilitating neurological trauma delivered by invisible energy.

563
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,839
Speaker 2: So let's summarize the core conclusion for you, our listener.

564
00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,559
The years of speculation about a secret energy weapon one

565
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,119
tied to an aggressive Russian intelligence unit Unit twenty nine

566
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,039
to one to five point five are no longer theoretical.

567
00:29:22,359 --> 00:29:26,119
Speaker 1: They are now grounded in physical reality. The Pentagon is

568
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:30,119
actively testing a device with Russian components that perfectly matches

569
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,720
the suspected technology it's portable, it's stealthy, and it's generating

570
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:38,160
the pulsed radio waves consistent with all the reported symptoms.

571
00:29:38,319 --> 00:29:41,319
Speaker 2: The needle of evidence has moved decisively toward conformation.

572
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,400
Speaker 1: The facts are startling, but the questions they raise about

573
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,279
our own preparedness and our institutional response are equally profound

574
00:29:48,759 --> 00:29:50,880
and maybe even more concerning for national security.

575
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,359
Speaker 2: That leads to our final provocative thought for you to consider.

576
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:58,880
If an invisible, portable device easily concealed in a backpack

577
00:29:59,119 --> 00:30:02,519
can cause de bild llitating brain injuries and was successfully

578
00:30:02,559 --> 00:30:06,799
masked and dismissed by powerful government institutions for nearly a decade,

579
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,720
what does that imply about the actual nature of modern

580
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,400
low intensity conflict?

581
00:30:12,599 --> 00:30:15,119
Speaker 1: How many other non kinetic attacks are occurring right now

582
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,599
that we are simply not equipped to register or even

583
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:18,880
classify as warfare.

584
00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,599
Speaker 2: It forces us to ask, are we prepared to defend

585
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,279
against threats that don't involve a blast or a bullet,

586
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,160
but instead target the very function of the human brain.

587
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:29,759
Speaker 1: Indeed, so what do you think is the biggest national

588
00:30:29,839 --> 00:30:33,119
security threat raised by this news? The actual possibility of

589
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,960
covert brain injury attacks by foreign adversaries or the evidence

590
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,359
that such an attack was successfully masked and dismissed by

591
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,519
government agencies for so long, demonstrating a failure of institutional recognition.

592
00:30:44,279 --> 00:30:46,200
Let us know what you think about the tension between

593
00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:48,519
the proven threat and the delayed official response.