The enclosed report is a compilation of data available in the field within approximately 10 days of the Starfish Prime event, together with an introduction to the objectives of Starfish Prime and some tentative conclusions about the data obtained. As such, the reader is cautioned that all data are tentative and in most cases obtained by “quick look” techniques: in particular all numbers quoted are subject to later correction.

Document Archive

A ‘Quick Look’ at the Technical Results of Starfish Prime, August 1962 [112 Pages, 3MB]

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download [3.18 MB]

The post A ‘Quick Look’ at the Technical Results of Starfish Prime, August 1962 first appeared on The Black Vault.

NUMBER ONE IN A SERIES OF INFORMATION PAPERS ON TOPICS ASSOCIATED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS, PRINCIPALLY DESIGNED FOR USE BY TRADOC SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS AND MAJOR COMMAND STAFF OFFICERS.

Document Archive

Nuclear Notes Number 1 – The Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), June 1974 [22 Pages, 6.0MB]

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download [5.95 MB]

The post Nuclear Notes Number 1 – The Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), June 1974 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to prepare against ever evolving threats against the American homeland, most recently highlighting efforts to combat an Electromagnetic Pulse attack which could disrupt the electrical grid and potentially damage electronics. Today, the department is releasing the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Program Status Report as part of an update on efforts underway in support of Executive Order (E.O.) 13865 on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses. E.O. 13865 establishes resilience and security standards for U.S. critical infrastructure as a national priority.

EMP weapons have the potential to disrupt unprotected critical infrastructure within the US and could impact millions over large parts of the country. Since the President’s signing of the E.O. in March 2019, DHS, through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), in coordination with the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has taken key actions to address known EMP-related vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure. The EMP Program Status Report highlights efforts taken across the public and private sector to foster increased resilience to EMP events. Through data analysis, vulnerability and risk assessments, testing and pilot programs, and government and industry engagement, the department is identifying critical infrastructure and associated functions that are at greatest risk from an EMP, and developing and implementing best practices to reduce the risk.

“EMP attacks are part of the emerging threats against our nation and demand a response,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli. “That is why DHS is taking these contingencies very seriously, working diligently to mitigate our risks and equipping our state and local partners with the resources they need to do the same. We’ve made significant progress and look forward to the work ahead.”

“As the Nation’s risk advisor, one of CISA’s priorities is understanding and mitigating threats associated with EMPs,” said CISA Director Chris Krebs. “Over the past year, we have worked with interagency and industry partners to identify the footprint and effects of EMP threats across our National Critical Functions, and are developing sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective approaches to improving the Nation’s resilience to EMPs.”

In 2018, DHS released the Strategy for Protecting and Preparing the Homeland against Threats from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and Geomagnetic Disturbance (GMD), which was the Department’s first articulation of a holistic, long-term, partnership-based approach to protecting critical infrastructure and preparing to respond and recover from potentially catastrophic electromagnetic incidents. (Source)

Document Archive

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Program Status Reportm August 17, 2020 [6 Pages, 0.5MB]

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download [673.12 KB]

The post DHS Combats Potential Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, September 3, 2020 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The term electromagnetic pulse (sometimes abbreviated EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation that results from an explosion (usually from the detonation of a nuclear weapon) and/or a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field. The resulting rapidly changing electric fields or magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges.

In military terminology, a nuclear bomb detonated hundreds of kilometers above the Earth’s surface is known as a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) device. Nuclear electromagnetic pulse has three distinct time components that result from different physical phenomena. Effects of a HEMP device depend on a very large number of factors, including the altitude of the detonation, energy yield, gamma ray output, interactions with the Earth’s magnetic field, and electromagnetic shielding of targets.

Document Archive

Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack: Critical National Infrastructures [208 Pages, 7 MB]  – This report presents the Commission’s assessment of the effects of a high altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on our critical national infrastructures. An earlier report, Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), Volume 1: Executive Report (2004), provided an overview. When a nuclear explosion occurs at high altitude, the EMP signal it produces will cover a wide geographic region within the line of sight of the detonation. Because of the dependence of U.S. society on the electrical power system, its vulnerability to an EMP attack, coupled with the EMP’s particular damage mechanisms, creates the possibility of long-term, catastrophic consequences. The consequences of an EMP event should be prepared for and protected against to the extent reasonably possible. Cold War-style deterrence is not likely to be an effective threat against potential protagonists that are either failing states or trans-national groups. Therefore, making preparations to manage the effects of an EMP attack is critical to reducing the consequences, and thus probability, of attack. The appropriate national-level approach should balance prevention, protection, and recovery. This volume focuses on a description of the potential vulnerabilities of our critical national infrastructures; the chapters in this document deal individually with the EMP threat to each critical infrastructure separately. It is also important to understand that not only mutual interdependence may be enabled by technology advances, but also technologies that have facilitated this growing interdependence may be common across the many individual infrastructures. In particular, the Commission thought it important to single out the growth and common infrastructural infiltration of one particular transformative technology, the development of automated monitoring and control systems known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.

The post Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Weapons first appeared on The Black Vault.