U.S. Announces Plans to Deal with EMP Threat
November 2nd, 2015In other news, Naval Academy Reinstates Celestial Navigation.
Via: USA Today:
Space weather, which can disrupt satellites, stifle communications networks and paralyze the electric power grid, is getting some special scrutiny from the Obama administration.
The White House announced a new strategy Thursday to identify and respond to interstellar phenomena such as solar flares that pose a looming threat to national security and the global economy.
The plan calls for clearer identification of space weather events, improved protection of vulnerable targets, and better forecasting.
“As technological systems become increasingly intertwined and interdependent, as more and more applications take advantage of GPS technologies, as power grids become smarter, the potential threats that space weather poses to our economic vitality, our national security and our daily routines gets more concerning,” said John Holdren, the top science and technology advisor to President Obama
Holdren spoke Thursday at a White House-sponsored symposium that brought together federal agencies, congressional lawmakers, state officials and representatives of industries, such as airlines and utilities, most affected by space weather.
The administration’s six-point plan calls for: establishing benchmarks for space weather events, enhancing response and recovery capabilities, improving protection and mitigation efforts, improving prediction of impacts on critical infrastructure, improving space weather forecasting, and increasing international cooperation.
“Space weather” is code for a Russian or Chinese thermonuclear device exploded in the stratosphere. It is presumed there are satellites already circling so that no launch is detected. The U.S. grid’s transformers are not protected by a Faraday cage/shield as are the Russians. The scenario is total power out ….for 2 years…until replacements can be found. Imagine the U.S. for two months without power!
I looked at this back in the 1990s and it’s so unthinkable that the main government policy has been to ignore it.
Same with undefended network infrastructure.
Hey Kevin. Just love your use of the word “unthinkable” as in a River in Egypt. Here’s more with some nice links… http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/white-house-prepares-for-emp-that-would-wipe-out-power-render-cellphones-and-internet-useless_11062015