Trump signs executive order to make America greater than EMPs

Enlarge / The aurora created by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test in 1962, as seen from Honolulu. The electromagnetic pulse from the blast has fed a host of worries about the potential for North Korea or some other state to destroy America with an EMP weapon. (credit: Nuclear Weapons Archive)

On March 26, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at preparing the US to withstand an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. "Human-made or naturally occurring EMPs can affect large geographic areas, disrupting elements critical to the Nation's security and economic prosperity, and could adversely affect global commerce and stability," Trump's order stated. "The Federal Government must foster sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective approaches to improving the Nation's resilience to the effects of EMPs."

The new order places two types of threats under the EMP umbrella-those caused by high-altitude nuclear explosions and those created by geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) resulting from solar flares. In addition to mandating new risk evaluations for EMP attacks by the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and director of National Intelligence, the order calls for DOD and the Commerce Department to develop better space weather forecasting for "natural EMP" prediction. The order also puts EMP weapons high on the priority list for the State Department's nuclear non-proliferation agenda, and it seeks to spur information sharing and research and development efforts across multiple agencies.

Electromagnetic pulses damage electrical and electronic systems by inducing voltages in wiring. The resulting voltage spikes can cause thermal failure, shorts, and other damage that breaks the equipment. (I've experienced this on a smaller scale when a lightning strike outside my home induced voltages in my Ethernet cables, damaging my network adapters and killing a switch.)

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