The Shawn Ryan Show – Episode 283

Guest: AJ, Former CIA Chief of Station
Topic: Breaking Silence on Microwave Weapons/Havana Syndrome
Date: February 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features a rare, in-depth interview with "AJ," a decorated former CIA Chief of Station who is breaking his silence on being the victim of an apparent directed energy (microwave) attack now commonly termed “Havana Syndrome." Shawn Ryan and AJ embark on a candid, emotional, and technically detailed exploration of not only AJ's harrowing personal experience but also the broader coverup, ethics failures, and chilling implications for U.S. national security. AJ describes the weaponization of energy attacks, his injury, the institutional betrayal by U.S. agencies, and calls for accountability and truth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage and AJ’s Background [09:42–13:06]

• Shawn Ryan introduces AJ with extraordinary letters of support from high-ranking intelligence officials and Congressman Rick Crawford.

  • Anonymous official: “The man in front of you is literally the pinnacle. This is the best of the best…” [04:30]
  • Rep. Rick Crawford: “In our continuing investigation, we have found that the intelligence community assessment on AHI is profoundly flawed and fallacious.” [08:15]

• AJ’s background: Naval Academy grad, Marine captain, career CIA ops officer, two-times Chief of Station, fluent in Russian and Czech.

Directed Energy Weapons: History & Soviet/Russian Doctrine [13:06–31:11]

• Historical context: U.S./USSR experiments with microwaves dating back to the 1950s.
  • “1953–1979, Moscow Signal: microwaves aimed at the US Embassy for 25 years, ambassador died.” — Shawn Ryan [13:24]
• Agency lore: The “Great Seal” hidden microphone, radars making WWII soldiers hear clicks (Frey effect), Soviet experiments stopping frog hearts with microwaves.
• Both Russia and China have published doctrinal statements on cognitive/energy weapons (“neurostrike”), explicitly targeting the human nervous system.

Institutional Reluctance and Coverup [33:05–39:42]

• Reluctance to acknowledge: U.S. gov’t continues to deny, minimize, or stall confirmation of directed energy attacks, despite mounting open-source evidence and purchases of such devices.
  • “There’s probably a group of individuals… telling a story, not the story, to protect their equities, protect the institution…to preserve their image.” — AJ [34:04]
• Consequences: Deliberate obfuscation harms national security, hinders medical innovation, and leaves injured personnel abandoned.

The Attack: AJ’s Personal Account [45:00–68:39]

Pre-Attack and Arrival [45:00–50:00]

• AJ is posted to Southeast Asia during COVID, quarantined in temporary lodging.

The Night of the Attack [50:02–55:54]

• First incident:
  • “At 0455 that morning, I woke to a crushing sensation… I heard, and ‘heard’ is not the right word… a sensational sound that shot through my head… like a mechanical slide whistle… ended in a soft pop… overpressure wave shot through my body… I felt thrown to my left… all air forced out, my eyes open.” — AJ [50:25]
  • “It’s like being electrocuted.” — Shawn [52:44]
• Immediate aftermath: Disorientation, loss of balance, confusion, emotional instability, vision and equilibrium severely impaired.
• Blood drawn 8.5 hours post-incident shows peak brain injury biomarkers—key medical data.

Second Night and Parallels [60:15–68:39]

• Second incident: Sensation starts in fingers, chemical burn feeling; hears “big metal hinges” and furniture moving above/behind him in nearly empty hotel during strict COVID lockdown.
• Discovery: A fellow officer had been attacked a week before, with almost identical symptoms. Multiple other U.S. personnel affected.

Confirming It Was a Targeted Attack [79:33–81:21]

• “My instinct… would be this was a very precise, beam precision thing. I think it was very, very precise.” — AJ [80:47]
• Pattern of other survivors: “They felt if they moved a couple feet to either side, they were out of it.” [81:08]

Medical Odyssey and Symptoms [86:43–117:24]

Early Treatment & Cognitive Impairment

• A year+ ordeal seeking medical care, with AJ and his wife forced to coordinate logistics and treatment themselves.
• Cognitive symptoms: “Brain fog. The ability to think, executive function, completely went out the window… It was like my brain was in peanut butter.” [105:25]
• Physical: Loss of balance, extreme exhaustion, vision issues, headaches, night vision loss, autonomic nervous system dysfunction (“POTS”).
• Emotional: “Completely emotionally flat… couldn’t even connect with my wife or my own emotions.” [111:18]
• Medical testing reveals specific, abnormal brain and eye findings, misalignment with official records, and “dysautonomia”—the precise Russian-stated intended application of these weapons. [143:06]

Nontraditional & Alternative Treatments [130:33–138:10]

• Pursued therapies: neurogen brain balancing, equiscope microcurrent, stem cells, frequency-specific treatments.
• Some improvement recorded: notably, after equiscope, “I could recognize faces, a little bit of emotion… it was crazy.” [134:14]
• All treatment out-of-pocket—“Probably spent a third to half my retirement annuity.”

Institutional Betrayal & Coverup [145:25–193:18]

• Bureaucratic malfeasance: AJ’s requests for retirement, benefits, or workers comp repeatedly stonewalled.

  • “We really don’t want to give you benefits because… we’d have to give benefits to anybody that basically walked by the Coke machine and said they felt something.” [148:44]

• Hostility: Investigative/analytical “cell” manages the process, bypassing usual chain of command, threatening AJ and pressuring doctors to alter medical records.

• “Everything for you, not only for you, but for anybody that gets hit with this in the future… they don’t even have an accurate set of data.” — Shawn [179:12]

• Outcomes: AJ forced to accept minimum retirement; junior officers even worse off, essentially “in prison.” Doctors and facilities pressured to ignore or downplay findings; some admit direct fear of agency retaliation.

• Direct admission of deception:

  • “People in this Analytical Cell have said they will willingly lie directly to Congress in order to protect the organization…” — AJ [186:07]
  • “There’s no accountability in this country. Not at that level.” — Shawn [190:15]

The Timeline of U.S. Government Response [200:08–217:43]

• In-depth breakdown of reports from 2020–2026 and the public/private discord within USG.
  • Experts consistently confirm plausibility/mechanism of energy attacks; only the analytical cell at CIA and hand-picked officials continue denials.
  • Evidence of a U.S. undercover purchase (2026) of a pulsed RF backpack-sized device with Russian components—matching known symptoms and effects.
• AJ points out continuity with historical denials—even referencing the coverup of “Moscow Signal” research.

National Security & The Future [217:43–235:36]

• Epitaph:

  • “Weapons are frying our brains. The CIA is lying about it. The CIA told you they would willingly lie to Congress…”
  • “Who are they serving?” — Shawn
  • “Themselves.” — AJ
  • “No one in government is looking out for the people. The mavericks get punished.” [219:54+]

• Institutional failure and the loss of trust:

  • “I would say [the CIA] does have a role to play…but it's being hijacked by a group of people…” — AJ [195:08]

• AJ’s prescription: A call to good people in government to “get off the fence,” pursue truth, and to the survivors—“Don’t give up hope… you are not alone.” [226:44]

End Note: Faith and Meaning in Suffering [227:46–235:36]

• Reflection on trials and suffering:

  • “When you have nothing left to give, give thanks… It came to me: thanks.” — AJ [152:39]

• Biblical themes of hope, gratitude, and unwavering foundation in truth.

  • “The only real truth is in the Bible, and that is it.” — Shawn [230:47]

• AJ closes with prayer for healing and truth.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “This is the best of the best…” (Anonymous intelligence letter) [04:30]
• “AHI [Havana Syndrome attacks] are real. He was injured severely. The system failed him…” (Anonymous letter) [07:00]
• “We must correct the government’s failure and take care of our patriots.” — Rep. Rick Crawford [08:15]
• “My instinct is this was a very precise, beam precision thing.” — AJ [80:47]
• “From the second on, the world has never been the same… It’s like you are neither living or dead.” — AJ [76:36]
• “Completely emotionally flat… I couldn’t even connect with my own wife or emotions.” — AJ [111:18]
• “Institutional betrayal is far worse than anything our adversaries could have done.” — AJ [170:12]
• “People in this Analytical Cell have said they would willingly lie directly to Congress…” — AJ [186:07]
• "There’s no accountability in this country. Not at that level." — Shawn [190:15]
• "The American people should be very upset with what's going on. They demand the best, and they're not getting it." — AJ [218:57]
• “When you have nothing left to give, give thanks.” — AJ [152:39]
• “I think the dark is being allowed to get darker so the light gets brighter.” — AJ [234:50]

Important Timestamps

• AJ’s background, state letters [04:30–13:06]
• Directed energy weapons history [13:14–31:11]
• Why government covers up the threat [33:05–39:42]
• AJ’s attack: details and symptoms [45:00–68:39]
• Medical journey & persistent symptoms [86:43–117:24]
• Empirical evidence, Russian doctrine links [143:06–144:03]
• Institutional betrayal & administrative coverups [145:25–193:18]
• Up-to-date government response timeline [200:08–217:43]
• Final reflections, faith, and hope [227:46–235:36]

Flow, Tone & Takeaways

The tone is a combination of technical, methodical intelligence briefing and raw, personal distress/testimony—brutally honest, unflinching, non-histrionic. Shawn is outraged, incredulous; AJ is calm, meticulous, humble, and direct, focusing on facts and hope for fellow victims. The episode is a call for institutional accountability, truth, and humane treatment of U.S. personnel. It closes with a Christian lesson in hope, gratitude, and truth as the last, best anchor in a sea of betrayal.

For Listeners Seeking Key Segments

• Directed energy weapon history: [13:14]
• The attack/night itself: [50:02]
• Medical findings and challenges: [86:43]
• Russian doctrine: [143:06]
• Evidence of U.S. coverup: [145:25]
• Institutional admissions to lying: [186:07]
• Reflection on truth/faith: [230:47]
• Prayer and final words: [235:42]

Summary prepared using direct attributions and original language/tone as heard in The Shawn Ryan Show, Episode 283.