Report: United States Increasingly Vulnerable to Potentially Catastrophic EMP Attack

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON ^ | November 6, 2015 | Daniel Wiser

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Previous estimates have found that an EMP event ‘could kill 9 of 10 Americans’

The threat of a devastating electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States is increasing just as American infrastructure has become more vulnerable, according to a new report.

"Our nation has further increased its reliance on technologies that depend upon the availability of electricity and digital electronics to manage and monitor the network of systems that deliver our basic goods and services," said the report from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA).

As a result, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack "could severely disrupt everything we take for granted, from food and water distribution to functioning sewer, medical, healthcare and banking systems."

EMP events can be generated by natural causes, such as a solar storm, or an intentional attack through a cyber assault or the detonation of a nuclear weapon above earth's atmosphere. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are all said to be developing EMP weapon technology.

Some experts have suggested that an EMP assault "could kill 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease, and societal collapse."

The JINSA task force, which includes former senior government and military officials, issued several recommendations to improve the nation's defenses against an EMP attack, such as building EMP protection into new smart grids, declaring unequivocally how the United States would respond to an attack, and forming more public-private partnerships to tackle the problem.

"Despite this growing danger, mitigating the likelihood and consequences of such an attack could be accomplished with relatively modest investments in infrastructure over the near to medium term, especially when compared to the scale of losses should we continue to do nothing," the report said.

[samtheman]

Optical storage devices for safe backup?

[Travis McGee]

EMP is only one way of many that the lights could go out and stay out.

Link to the complete text thread on Free Republic.

[Carry_Okie]

From a book I published on the Sabbath for the Land in 2009: ...it does not take much to create serious havoc in modern cities, most of which have less than two weeks worth of food within their limits. Food distribution requires high speed transportation systems capable of delivering, distributing, and tracking huge tonnages at high rates. Much of that food requires refrigeration. Once gravity-fed water and electricity are regulated out of existence, even the lamest terrorist could cut off refrigerated food, pumped water, sewage treatment, and fuel dispensing by simply cutting off electrical power by any number of means. A nuclear enemy could discharge an EMP weapon disabling electronic controllers on virtually every large industrial electric motor for hundreds of miles (Spencer 2004). No controllers no motors, no motors no pumps, no pumps no water or sewage treatment, electronics on automobiles, communications, credit cards, or ATMs. After taking out the power, blowing a few bridges on freeways would leave people trapped behind concrete sound walls. Without energy, you lose water, food, and transportation. It doesn't take much.

[Carriage Hill]

Prepper Ping.

[DJ MacWoW]

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[The Great RJ]

Perhaps we should adopt a page from the Cold War.. Mutually Assured Destruction. During the Cold War the Soviets were deterred from a nuclear attack on the U.S. knowing that such attack would bring a massive retaliatory strike on them. It should be a clear credible policy of that any EMP attack on the U.S. would bring a massive nuclear strike on any nation that initiated the attack or helped produce it. An EMP attack is far more likely if the rogue nation that initiates it believes that the U.S. will just capitulate. For example think how Obama would respond to even a limited EMP strike on the U.S.? He certainly would not issue a nuclear response but give a few speeches and run to the UN.

[Tonytitan]

Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are all said to be developing EMP weapon technology.

The response will be as if they launched a land based ICBM on this country. Whichever Ohio-class SSBN is patrolling closest to Asia will empty the contents of their silos upon the guilty country.

[BobL]

Personally, I hope there’s a “little EMP” that will somehow WAKE UP people...because at this rate we’re not close to get prepared, in any way. It is PATHETIC how exposed we are.

[redfreedom]

‘Some experts have suggested that an EMP assault “could kill 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease, and societal collapse.” ‘

I really do not believe 9 out of 10. But if accurate, we would likely be among the survivors simply due to our lifestyle of living in the middle of nowhere.

China or Russia would not do it, they know a sub would take them out as mentioned in another reply as well as knowing the worlds economy would take a plunge. However some nut case regime such as N Korea or Iran would likely have zero hesitation.

If we can make it until the next prez is in office, we stand a much better chance of it not happening at all. Even if it’s Hillary (God forbid), as I do not think she hates our country like the current illegal alien.

[redpoll]

>>>I really do not believe 9 out of 10. But if accurate, we would likely be among the survivors simply due to our lifestyle of living in the middle of nowhere.<<<

I agree with you. I’ve read the apocalyptic descriptions of an EMP blast, and then read real studies of the same kind of event. It looks like destruction of electronics and transformers and so forth would be spotty and dependent on location (are you on the side of a mountain facing the blast or away from the blast?) and circumstance (what kind of equipment do you have and where is it stored?).

My experience with disasters like this is that people often pull together and help each other out. That’s what happened when a flood destroyed our town two years ago. On the other hand, I’ll bet there are places that would just start looting and burning, too.

What I can predict is that an EMP attack would begin a chain of events that I can’t predict, ranging from Godawful to mildly annoying.

Now a Carrington Event solar storm is a different thing completely - that would impact most everyone everywhere, and it would be a mess. Even then, though, some of us would be in places where we work together, and some would be in hellholes.

[Hulka]

“t should be a clear credible policy of that any EMP attack on the U.S. would bring a massive nuclear strike on any nation that initiated the attack or helped produce it. “

And we nuke mecca and medina no matter what. . .just to be sure. . .

[Ancesthntr]

My experience with disasters like this is that people often pull together and help each other out. That’s what happened when a flood destroyed our town two years ago. On the other hand, I’ll bet there are places that would just start looting and burning, too.

Why look at disasters for predictability? Take a look at Black Friday at any big store: People trample and hit each other over TOYS! What do you think that they'd do for food, water and medicine when their kids are starving or sick? Just remember that there are roughly 400 million guns in this country, and desperate people do desperate things.

That said, I am praying for a President Trump or Cruz - I believe that these 2 would actively warn ANY enemy that their nation would be utterly destroyed after any nuclear, biological, chemical or EMP attack on this country, and that they'd also take steps to upgrade the electrical infrastructure to milspec levels that would dramatically lower the impact of any EMP attack (or solar storm, for that matter).

[Carry_Okie]

The big risk is not so much to computers as it is to gas pumps, vehicles, and variable frequency motor drives (commonly known as VFDs). The latter are much harder to replace and they control virtually every well and sewer pump, cooling blower, and large refrigeration unit. Every utility would be down, as you said, depending upon location. With the concentration of population along coasts and the north-south axes of mountain ranges, the shadowing effect would not help much.

[RaceBannon]

Frank Gaffney, @SecureFreedom , @frankgaffney , about threats to the electric grid.
https://soundcloud.com/jacki-daily/jacki-talks-with-frank-gaffney