William Forstchen is Professor of History and Fellow at Montreat College, North Carolina. He received his Ph. D. from Purdue University with a specialization in American Civil War Military History and Technical History.
Some time ago, his book, One Second After, was presented in Congress and before the Armed Forces House Committee by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD). The chairman of the committee of the chamber commissioned to assess the threat of the use of electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMP), as well as to give a realistic picture of the potential damage, if the EMP is used for the continental United States.
While the US can improve prevention, defense and recovery in the face of an EMP attack at levels below those that would have catastrophic consequences for the nation, an EMP attack will continue to cause significant disruption, even under the most favorable circumstances. Many citizens will be left without electricity, communications and other services for several days, and it may take much longer to fully recover.
This time frame will be critical to provide a reliable channel of information to all citizens to make them understand what happened, what the current situation is, when help is coming and what type of what their governments are doing; and to answer the questions that arise, because if there is no answer, the situation could become even more volatile and cause more suffering for the affected individuals, communities and the nation as a whole.
EMP and its aftermath were observed in the USA and USSR during atmospheric test programs in 1962. Figure 1 shows the outbreak of a nuclear explosion that was not intended to generate EMP- at an altitude of about 400 kilometers above Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean. Some electronic and electrical systems in the Hawaiian Islands, 1400 kilometers away, were affected, resulting in a failure in street lighting, power supply, circuit breakers, burglar alarms, and relay damage in telecommunications facilities.
During that testing, the Soviet Union carried out a series of nuclear explosions in which they used 300 kiloton weapons at about 300, 150 and 60 kilometers at a test site in South and Central Asia. They report that during each explosion, they observed damage to overhead and underground cables at a distance of 600 kilometers. They also noted discharges, fires, sparks, breakdown of equipment in this gap, failure and burnout of fuses, accidents in power supply systems.
What is important to know about EMP attacks is that one or more high-altitude nuclear explosions can lead to EMP effects that could potentially disrupt or damage electronic and electrical systems throughout much of the United States, almost simultaneously, just as the enemy is determined.
Gamma rays from a high-altitude nuclear explosion interact with the atmosphere and produce unique radio frequency waves of spatially varying intensities that encompass everything in line of sight from the center of the explosion.
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The first component (E1) is a free field of impulsive energy that increases with time and is measured in the range from one billionth of a second to several billionths of a second. This is an "electromagnetic shock" that disrupts or damages the electronic basis of control systems, sensors, communication systems, protection systems, computers and similar devices. Their damage or functional impairment occurs mainly simultaneously over a very large area, as shown in the figure below.
The time-average component covers roughly the same geographic area as the first component and is similar to lightning over time, but is much more widespread geographically and has lower amplitude. In general, this element is not a critical issue for the most critical infrastructure systems, as they have protection against accidental lightning strikes. The most significant risk is synergy, because the E2 component follows a fraction of a second after the impact of the first component, which can damage or destroy many protections and control functions. The energy associated with the second component can thus access the systems and damage them.
The final major component of EMP is the subsequent, slower growing, and longer pulse that creates destructive currents in long power lines, resulting in damage to the transmission and distribution systems associated with such lines (Fig. 3). The sequence of E1, E2, E3, and then the EMP components are important because each of them can lead to damage, and later damage can increase as a result of early damage. In the example shown in Figures 2 and 3, about 70% of the total electrical power in the United States falls within the scope of an EMP event.
History professor William P. Forststen discusses the potential damage caused by an EMP event (electromagnetic pulse), and how we can prepare for such circumstances. There are actually two options for creating an EMP event, military or solar, he explained. Nuclear weapons continue to proliferate.
In countries such as Iran or North Korea, work is currently underway to create it, which means that the likelihood that a high-altitude explosion, at a distance of about 250 km above the earth's atmosphere, will be carried out, which will cause an electrostatic discharge, will hit the surface Earth, will overload power grids and lead to failures in them, details Forschen. The USSR conducted EMP tests in 1962, and a power plant 500 miles from the center of the explosion caught fire due to EMP overload penetrating the transmission lines, he gives an example.
Just a few days ago, we were hit by the largest solar storm in five years, and NASA and NOAA are predicting a significant increase in the cycle of solar storms over the next 18 months, Fortschen noted. A large enough coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun can create a global, all-encompassing EMP event, especially in northern and southern latitudes. The Carington Event of 1859 affected telegraph lines, and "the energy output was so strong that the sleepers exploded in flames," he said. Fortschen spoke before Congress to advocate for measures to protect America's networks, such as those put forward by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett.
The EMP (short for EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. A sharp pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or unexpected fluctuations in the magnetic field. Rapidly changing electric and magnetic fields coupled with electrical / electronic systems can cause destructive currents and voltages, as well as surges.
EMP explosion mechanism at an altitude of 400 km: gamma rays enter the atmosphere between 20-40 km, ejecting electrons, which are then deflected away from the Earth's magnetic field. This makes the emission of EMP electrons encompassing large areas. Due to the curvature and downward tilt of the Earth's magnetic field at the US location, the maximum EMP impact is due south of detonation and minimum impact to the north.
In military terminology, the explosion of a nuclear warhead hundreds of kilometers above the Earth's surface is known as a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) device. HEMP exposure depends on a very large number of factors, including detonation height, energy output, gamma ray output, interaction with the earth's magnetic field, and electromagnetic shielding of targets.
“Ready” refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. “Preparedness” is an important quality in achieving goals and in preventing and mitigating negative consequences. It is one of the main stages of emergencies and is especially prized in competitive fields such as sports and military science.
Preparation methods include research, assessment, planning, resource allocation, education, practice, and training.
Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups (called "survivalists" or "preppers") who actively prepare for emergencies, as well as possible disruptions for social or political purposes, on a local to international scale. … Survivors are often adept at providing emergency medical care and are trained in self-defense techniques, have food and water supplies, are self-sufficient, and create structures that will help them survive or “disappear” (eg, an underground shelter).
Suspected violations include the following: Clusters of natural disasters, models of apocalyptic planetary crisis, or Earth Change (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, snowstorms, solar storms, severe thunderstorms). Disaster caused by human activities (chemical spills, release of radioactive materials, nuclear or conventional wars, oppressive governments). The general collapse of society, caused by a shortage or lack of resources such as electricity, fuel, food or water. Financial disruption or economic collapse (caused by monetary manipulation, hyperinflation, deflation, or depression). Global pandemic. Widespread chaos or other unexplained apocalyptic events.