The Pentagon’s most senior intelligence official was dismissed last month for his handling of cases involving victims of the mysterious brain disorder known as Havana Syndrome, according to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Rep. Rick Crawford disclosed during a markup hearing on the fiscal 2026 intelligence authorization bill last week that Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse was dismissed for cause over his handling of cases involving DIA officials who were victims of what the government calls “anomalous health incidents,” or AHIs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Gen. Kruse on Aug. 22 for what the Pentagon said was an unspecified “loss of confidence.”
Until Mr. Crawford’s disclosure, it was widely reported that the three-star general was removed after a leaked DIA analysis of the June bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities that stated the strikes caused limited damage and had set back the Iranian nuclear program by only a few months.
Later, the Pentagon and other agencies said the bombing raids had destroyed major parts of Iran’s nuclear program that would take years to reconstitute.
Havana syndrome, so called after U.S. diplomats posted in Cuba experienced a mysterious brain-related illness, has affected hundreds of American diplomatic, intelligence and military personnel.
The cause has not been clearly identified. Incidents have occurred in China, Austria, Colombia, Georgia, Germany, India, Poland, Russia and Vietnam.
Victims experience debilitating symptoms including headaches, impaired concentration, memory loss and vertigo that many analysts believe are the result of microwave or sonic directed energy exposure.
U.S. intelligence agencies initially concluded that it was unlikely that a foreign adversary was behind the incidents, angering many victims who believe they were attacked.
However, in January, an updated intelligence assessment said two agencies now believe there is a “roughly even chance” a foreign actor is causing the problems.
Mr. Crawford, Arkansas Republican, made public the information about Gen. Kruse’s role in the handling of the AHI cases during committee debate Sept. 10.
The panel was preparing to vote on a proposed Democrat-sponsored amendment that would have required the federal government to inform Congress of any firings of intelligence agency leaders.
National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh was fired in April. Democrats have charged that the firings are a politicization of intelligence.
The amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Democrat, said in arguing for the amendment that a lack of transparency regarding Gen. Kruse’s firing was one reason for the measure.
Mr. Crawford then explained in opposing the amendment that he had worked closely with Gen. Kruse. The lawmaker said that, as a result of a committee probe into AHI during the last Congress, “I recommended then and I recommended to this president that he be removed for cause.”
The chairman then said that Gen. Kruse’s “treatment of AHI victims, to me, was sufficient cause to have him removed from that position.”
Committee Democrats were apparently unaware of problems related to the handling of AHI cases.
In the Senate, Sen. Mark R. Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, also appeared to be unaware of a link to AHI in Gen. Kruse’s dismissal.
In August, after Gen. Kruse was fired, the Virginia Democrat said the dismissal was evidence of a “dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country.” He also linked the firing to the now-discredited DIA assessment of bomb damage on Iranian nuclear sites.
The amendment to require the firing notifications was voted down by the oversight panel, formally known as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Asked for details about the handling of AHI cases, Mr. Crawford said in a statement that details remain classified.
“The HPSCI investigation into Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI), also known as Havana Syndrome, unearthed information that demonstrates Lt. Gen. Kruse’s actions as director were unacceptable for any leader in uniform,” Mr. Crawford told The Washington Times.
“In particular, his actions as they pertain to one particular AHI survivor were utterly unacceptable and genuinely shocked me.”The details of that case are secret but “re-victimizing those sacrificing so much for our country does not amount to honorable service,” he said.
Mr. Crawford issued an intelligence committee report in December on AHIs that concluded it is increasingly likely that a foreign adversary is behind some of the incidents. The report also criticized the CIA for faulty analysis of AHIs and for blocking the committee’s investigation into the malady.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gen. Kruse’s firing.
A senior Pentagon official, however, said: “Lt. Gen. Kruse will no longer serve as DIA director.”
Retired Army Lt. Col. Greg Edgreen, who headed a DIA investigation into AHI, testified to the House in 2023 that he suspects Russia is behind AHI attacks using novel, non-kinetic weapons.
“America has a long history of not taking care of those who were wounded when fighting for their country, and Havana Syndrome is no different,” he said.
In examining cases of Pentagon victims, Col. Edgreen testified that those targeted were key operators.
“This wasn’t happening to our worst or our middle-range officers,” he said. “This was happening to our top 5%, 10% performing officers across the Defense Intelligence Agency. And consistently there was a Russia nexus.”
Col. Edgreen said those attacked reported various conditions, including debilitating migraines, perceived sounds, dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, cognitive difficulties and memory loss.
“Some started to develop rare cancers, tumors and heart conditions despite no pre-existing or genetic conditions over time,” he said.
“In some cases, diplomats and intelligence officers were forced to leave active service due to complications from their conditions. Early reports were dismissed as psychosomatic or cases of mass hysteria.”
Mr. Parnell announced in July that the Pentagon had begun reviewing applications for payment requests from personnel under the 2021 Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act, known as the Havana Act.
“Under the Havana Act, DoD employees and their covered dependents who suffered qualifying brain injuries on or after January 1, 2016, in connection with certain Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI), are eligible for a one-time payment. The department is committed to helping DoD personnel affected by AHIs,” he stated.
Gen. Kruse, an Air Force officer appointed DIA director during the Biden administration in February 2024, could not be reached for comment. It is unclear whether his firing resulted in retirement or reassignment within the Air Force.
Before taking over at DIA, Gen. Kruse was the military adviser to the director of national intelligence, mainly under DNI Avril Haines in the Biden administration.
A DIA spokesman said the agency remains committed to three core tenets regarding AHIs. They include identifying causes, finding out who is behind the incidents and “taking care of our officers who have been affected by AHIs.”
“DIA is dedicated to ensuring proper care and treatment are provided to all agency-affiliated, affected individuals,” the spokesman said.
DIA is the Pentagon’s intelligence-gathering agency. It analyzes foreign militaries and engages in clandestine operations. Its products are shared with the military’s combatant commands and planners at the Pentagon.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in January during his nomination hearing before the Senate that he promised to aggressively review CIA analysis on AHI to determine whether the incidents are caused by enemy-directed energy weapons.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.