Joshpe: DHS Downplays EMP Danger
Writing for the American Spectator, Brett Joshpe explains the effects of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.
A blast of EMP waves would short-circuit electrical components such as the power grid and electronic circuits that allow you to start car. Joshpe said he attended two lectures on EMP and believes the topic should be discussed more. An excerpt:
“Unlike past blackouts, such as the one that occurred in the summer of 2003 and left much of the northeastern U.S. without electricity, the lights would not come back on for years potentially. The U.S. would be plunged into a primitive state in which people scrounged for food and water to survive. Money would be worthless, our economy would revert to bartering, and one’s most valuable assets would be guns and ammunition.
“So, how likely or plausible is this sort of attack? More so than we would like. In 2004, the Electromagnetic Pulse Commission, which Congress established, issued a Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack. It concluded that ‘EMP is one of a small number of threats that has the potential to hold our society seriously at risk and might result in defeat of our military forces.’ The Commission issued another report in 2008 in which it concluded that ‘The electromagnetic pulse generated by a high altitude nuclear explosion is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences.’”
Joshpe notes that the Department of Homeland Security provides some information on its web site about EMP effects but misleads readers into believing EMP will harm only “pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices.” Read the full text of the article for more information.
Tags: Department of Homeland Security, Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP