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Return to Article: Commission finds U.S. vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse attack

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  I've read one second after, and in my opinion, it is an optomistic view of what would happen. We have no defense against this possibility.

  Adam Posted May 4, 2009 11:14 AM
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  I just read a novel written by William R Forstchen, a military and technology historian. He details the ease of societies rapid breakdown in only a matter of weeks after an emp attack. The United States would cease to exist in a matter of months due to the need for different societies self preservation. I know the government will insulate themselves immediately as well as they should and we will be left to fend for ourselves. Since our country gets so much of its electronics from overseas, what do we do after an attack to try to rebuild our infrastructure. This rebuilding would take months if not years in the best of situations. Now I've just seen on the headline news cable network that either China or Russia has planted software bugs in our electrical grid to be used at a later time of turmoil. Its scary to know our government will do nothing if an attack occurs. I suggest reading the novel, One Second After, by William Forstchen with the forward by Newt Gingrich.

  John Bornkamp Posted April 8, 2009 1:07 PM
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  Tell me, what kind of government allows the manufacture of key electronic components, which are critical parts needed for our domestic power grid, to be shipped out of this country leaving us standing with miles of non-energized power lines to show for the technology we pioneered? Tell me I just didn't read this in this article. A wise government would have mandated a stockpile of such equipment be maintained by the public utilities responsible for providing power, in the event that there was an attack on this nation. Our vulnerability is a problem which cannot be denied, however when you compare the amount of preparation focused on "Continuity of Government", it would seem that maybe the government is the only ones who plan to survive. I think this reveals a much more dangerous situation in that this is no longer a government "of the people, for the people, by the people". Those in lofty positions have a plan for themselves, but we are without!

  Mike Jenkins Posted December 26, 2008 12:46 PM
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  The referenced report addresses the concept of widespread use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA). this is troubling to me. While most of my collegues do not agree with me, the SCADA design and use in the electricity grid in the U.S. is intended to collect data for revenue purposes. The NERC report on the 2003 Outage noted that electricity control is limited to simple generator and generating plant adjustments. SCADA control of electricity is, largely, not based on the physics of the grid. The proof of my perspective is the lack of control by operations staff of a phenomenon called "Loop Flow Effect".

  andrew loebl Posted August 29, 2008 1:22 PM
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  Seems like a diversion from the other EMP scenario, low power nuclear detonation. WTC Tower 7 left a fleet of fried and radioactive vehicles, temporary radio outages, and a pool of molten steel that burned for two weeks. Check the photos of the NY fleets sitting in the dump, bodies like new, but engines and electronics destroyed. Sitting across the river were five guys with a white van filming the whole thing and cheering.

  Anthony Weishar Posted August 27, 2008 6:49 AM
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  Woah, the EMP is back. Looks like some contractors are demanding their scheduled money injection.

  So, are we game to spend another mountain of dollars to re-invent "new-old" style electronics and the machinery that uses those for selected domains? I would think the billions on billions spent on Y2K assurance will look like chump change in comparison.

  Not that it's going to be of much help in case of an attack because the US economy with all cviie electronics dead in the event of a strike will go down the drain anyway - even if the US generals can stay in touch. Call now but starve later.

  To top it off, the tedious scarecrow of "Iran" is unpacked, as if Iran would suddenly manage to finally assemble some kind of nuke, put it on a missile and attack the States from a freighter off-coast (clue-in: Iran does not even have the Uranium to build a gun-type nuke and Persians do not give any indication of being particulary suicidal either)

  I remember the exact same "offshore freighter" argument being made about a possible attack with a cobalt bomb by evil Soviets about 25 years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

  Hey, we can be killed! Deal with it.

  American parts, Russian parts, all made in Taiwan. Posted August 24, 2008 11:46 PM
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  Haven't any of you ever heard of the book AmeriKa?? This is the exact scenario, Russia detonates nuclear warheads and disables our sattellite communications, takes us over from the inside and changes our government without 90% of the publics knowledge. All I can say is that WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE. We created this beast we call a country with the "democracy" we forcefully spread on others. Hopefully someone on the inside stops this before it comes from the outside. Welcome to the New World Order fellas. Wake up.. Rise up.. Stand up and fight!

  Joshua Davies Posted August 24, 2008 10:46 PM
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  Well, maybe if we had used an even-hamded approach in the Mideast instead of being Israel's hulking, but low-IQ big brother, we wouldn't have driven Iran to where they are today. As we sow... so shall we reap.

  WyoDutch Posted August 24, 2008 12:07 PM
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  Don't forget that the Chinese have a satellites, and the Iranians are aiming to do the same. If you orbit a nuclear satellite and detonate it over someone, the EMP could be targeted.

  David Ahlgren Posted August 22, 2008 10:43 AM
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  Yes, EMP is a real clear and very present danger with the potential to make it 1950 again. There's a field leveler for you. To think that Iran or any other lunatic culture from that region would not use it because it would be committing suicide denies the fact that the Middle Eastern cultures are the homeland of suicide attacks. Yes, EMP is a serious threat. Yes, lunatic governments from the Middle East would use it. Yes, Pearl Harbor really happened. Yes, 911 really happened.

  Rick Posted August 22, 2008 7:36 AM
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  The threat presented in this article is much of a possibility now than ever before. The world has not been threatened by a leader of a rogue nation until now. The president of Iran has stated several times he is not afraid of decimating his country as long as he can take a bunch of infidels with him. A mad man with limited resources is much more dangerous than a one with a large arsenal who wants to survive the battle.

  There is only one way to protect us from this threat and that is to eliminate those that would be willing to use this weapon.

  Vladimir val Cymbal Posted August 21, 2008 8:41 PM
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  I'm running right out and buying stock in Reynolds Aluminum. I see tin foil as being somthing we are going to be needing along with duct tape of course. How else would we make all the tin foil hats!

  rooster Posted August 20, 2008 2:23 PM
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  This was a threat we studied in engineering school, back in the early 80's... Remember the DoD "TEMPEST" program? So now, 20 years later, the threat is slightly larger but the vulnerability is far (FAR) greater.

  MAD still persists - I don't see Iran committing suicide any time soon (our subs are virtually EMP exempt - and represent enough capability to retaliate at an existential level... and Iran knows it). But what about N.Korea or bin Laden, et al.?

  It only takes one, high Kton range, at between 20k and 45k ft., 12 miles off our east coast...

  Eric Posted August 20, 2008 11:12 AM
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  This is already a priority for Obama he'll fix this with his change Button just like the 1 Staples has that says Easy

  Dan ketter Posted August 20, 2008 9:56 AM
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  I remember reading about this effect in Science Fiction stories when I was in High School in the mid-1950s. Do I find it easy to believe that our Congress has allowed the manufacture of components vital to our national security be moved overseas? YOU BET I DO!! I have noticed over the years that when it comes to the battle of profits for large corporations, or less profits and more American jobs, our Congress will always choose to pass laws that favor the profit margins for large corporations. Isn't that an interesting commentary on who our 'representatives' truly represent?

  Larry R. Doane Posted August 20, 2008 8:53 AM
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  Well, DUH!

  This was one of the first things they taught us when I first joined the military in the early 1980s and we were facing the Soviet nuke threat. Then suddenly, you didn't hear about it any more even as we got MORE electronics. But you don't need a nuke to generate EMP. Just watch the movie Toy Story for how a localized EMP was created. And I think it was Clive Cussler who had a book out about how a relatively low third rate country disabled an F15 (F16?) using a prop plane with an non-nuke EMP bomb, thus setting in motion a chain of events which threatened the East coast. Duh!

  Ignorance is bliss Posted August 20, 2008 8:12 AM
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  Good Article, some mitigation can be done by having backup systems that operate in pre-1980 technolgy, ie vacum tubes, relays and stepping switches, PUNTO!

  Larry Lemick Posted August 20, 2008 5:49 AM