EMP

The threat in question is a phenomenon termed Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP), an enormous burst of energy that can fry electrical networks in all directions for thousands of miles.Continent-straddling EMP can be generated by the detonation of nuclear weapons at high altitude, six miles or more above the Earth’s surface. Below that level the phenomenon is more generally confined.The generation of EMP was recognized at the dawn of the nuclear age in 1945 and has been seriously studied by
military organizations around the world ever since.security spokesperson testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. The spokesperson opened the subcommittee testimony by discussing the nature of the threat posed by electromagnetic pulse and the Department’s preparations to respond to and recover from potential EMP attacks.In addition to the EMP created when a nuclear weapon is detonated, naturally occurring solar weather can generate similar, but usually far less intense, effects. Such EMPs can be high frequency, similar to a flash of lightning or a spark of static electricity, or low frequency, produced by solar storms interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. According to the DHS testimony, an EMP can spike in less than a nanosecond or can continue longer than 24 hours, depending on its source. The consequences of an EMP range from permanent physical damage to the national electricity grid to temporary system disruptions. EMP can result in fires, electric shocks to people and equipment, and critical service outages.