IN AN EFFORT TO repeat last semester’s success, the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief’s Tactical Analysis Group (CIB-TAG) met on Monday, November 15 to discuss one of the greatest spy-related mysteries of our time. The CIB-TAG initiative consists of CIB analysts and senior analysts with a strong interest in conducting thorough, in-depth examinations of timely topics relating to security and intelligence. The purpose of CIB-TAG is to foster discussion, exchange of views and detailed engagement with the nuances of topics behind the news. This circle of analysts meets periodically to conduct “deep-dives” into pressing matters in domestic and international affairs.

The themes of CIB-TAG meetings are purely tactical and focus on details and nuances of major topics in security and intelligence, which are often overlooked in the news. We do not engage in political critiques of our subjects, but rather seek to understand their objectives, delineate their architecture and mode of operation, and explore the mechanics of their activities.

On November 15, CIB-TAG discussed the so-called ‘Havana Syndrome’, which refers to a wide range of difficult-to-measure medical symptoms with unknown causes, experienced mostly by United States government diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel. The symptoms were first reported by personnel in the United States embassy in Havana Cuba, in 2016, which is why the mysterious condition is known as the ‘Havana Syndrome’. Our presenters were CIB Director Ana Maria Lankford, Senior Analyst and former Head of the CIB’s Latin America Desk Cole Hancock, and Lukas Delaney, who heads the CIB’s Asia Desk. Over 20 CIB members joined us for a ‘deep dive’ into this mysterious topic. The event was moderated by Russian Desk Analyst Ellie Simpson.

More CIB-TAG events will be held in the spring. The CIB wishes to thank the Intercultural Language Resource Center at Coastal Carolina University, for letting use use their facilities.