The Foundry "An EMP is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. Nuclear and non-nuclear weapons or geomagnetic storms can cause an EMP. An EMP would disrupt electronics, transmission distribution centers, fuses, and power lines, sending the United States back to the 19th century."....
"But an EMP could be inflicted without an organized group behind it. With the right equipment, a
lone terrorist could cause a blackout of a city—with commercially available equipment."
There is in this article the obligatory "millions will die" statement that I don't know how to react to; it sounds too progressive-ish, like what Al Gore, or what any liberal with a cause would say. Though perhaps chicken-little-like, I often think about how any country would function in this electronic age if the national power grid went down. The additional links should explain. TD
Iran and the EMP Threat "We can avoid such catastrophes if we, as responsible citizens of the United States, take action.
The SHIELD Act (H.R. 668), currently before the U.S. House, needs to be passed this year. If it isn’t, it could very well be too late to protect the national electric grid.
"The SHIELD Act would empower the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to work with industry and other government departments and agencies to protect the national electric grid from EMP threats. The act would ensure that the United States has enough extra-high-voltage transformers to survive and recover from an EMP event."
Read the SHIELD Act here.
Rumsfeld Warns of Iran, N. Korea Electromagnetic Pulse Attack "“When you have a country like Iran, really a fine country with a proud history, taken over by a very small clique of people who are ideological and radical, you have to worry,” he said. “And we in this country, and other people who value freedom and free nation states, have to recognize that that combination of radical ideology and weapons of mass destruction is a danger.” "