In a dramatic operation that led to the historic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the United States military deployed a highly secretive non-lethal weapon that uses intense sound waves to incapacitate targets, sources have confirmed. The device, known as the Active Denial System (ADS), creates an unbearable sensation described by those hit as feeling like their head is exploding.
The Raid and the 'Exploding Head' Effect
During the raid on January 12, 2026, US forces utilised the weapon to neutralise security personnel. One guard present during the operation provided a harrowing account. He recalled seeing soldiers launch a device, followed by an intense sound wave. "Suddenly, I felt like my head was exploding from the inside," he said. "We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move."
Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, explained the technology to PopSci. He stated that the ADS projects shallow waves that produce an immediate sensation of severe pain. "What you are feeling is not your skin cooking, but you’re feeling a sensation of pain," Cancian clarified, noting that the effects cease once a person moves out of the beam's line of fire.
A History of Energy Weapons and Global Parallels
While this marks the first acknowledged use of the ADS in a combat scenario, the US military has tested such energy weapons extensively. The incident echoes similar alleged uses by other global powers. Jin Canrong, a professor at Renmin University, claimed that in 2020, Chinese soldiers used an electromagnetic weapon to repel Indian troops in the Himalayas, effectively turning the hilltops into a "microwave oven."
Furthermore, speculation is rife that weapons akin to the ADS may be behind the mysterious 'Havana Syndrome', which first afflicted US personnel abroad in 2016. Victims reported a sudden onset of buzzing sounds, intense head pressure, and a range of debilitating symptoms including nausea, vertigo, and cognitive difficulties.
Broader Implications and the Oil Question
The deployment of this advanced technology during a high-stakes geopolitical intervention raises significant ethical and strategic questions. The operation in Venezuela also brings focus back to the nation's vast oil reserves. While US President Donald Trump has suggested the US could profit from Venezuelan oil, analysts caution that the resource requires heavy, costly refinement, needing tens of billions in investment.
Trump's promise to share oil wealth with the Venezuelan people now sits alongside the revelation of this military technology's use, complicating the narrative of the intervention. Meanwhile, US officials estimate there have been at least 1500 cases of Havana Syndrome across 96 countries, with pulsed electromagnetic energy considered a "plausible" cause by a 2020 National Academies of Science study. While US intelligence denies foreign involvement, some investigations point toward possible Russian activity, a claim the Kremlin's Dmitry Peskov has dismissed as "baseless."
