Posted on 10/03/2008 3:09:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
Strategic Defense: A new report says the United States must develop robust missile and space defenses to counter China. If you think the current economic crisis is something, imagine the effects of a nuke over Iowa.
This is a small snapshot of what would happen if a hostile power detonated a nuclear weapon high over the United States generating an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that would fry virtually every circuit and electronic device in the U.S., sending America and its economy back a century or more in time.
In the 1995 James Bond flick "GoldenEye," Agent 007 fights to prevent an arms syndicate from hijacking a Russian "GoldenEye" satellite weapon to fire an electromagnetic pulse against London in order to cause a global financial meltdown. We may soon see life imitating art unless we heed the warning of a draft report by the secretary of state's International Security Advisory Board.
The ISAB report addresses the growing threat from China but could apply equally to a rearming and resurgent Russia and an ambitious and soon-to-be-nuclear Iran. To avoid increasing vulnerability, the report says, "the United States will need to pursue new missile defense capabilities, including taking full advantage of space."
There is also a new threat whereby a single nuclear weapon could paralyze the U.S.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Unless we have President Obama, in which case he would fall to his knees and beg forgiveness of whoever did that to us, apologize for whatever we did that made them so angry, and vow to pass legislation to compensate them for any harm we had caused.
Not to worry. President Obama’s agressive diplopmacy will prevent this. And if not, Pelosi and Reid will subsidize wooden arrows.
Why bother defending our skies when our borders are porous?
Correct. An EMP weapon has never been used, the best we have is educated speculation. It would be effective but not nationwide
but I know for a fact that American weapons systems have been hardened for years against this possibility. We would know who did it (terrorists don't yet have the capability to detonate an EMP weapon over Iowa, and won't for years) and I'm sure would retaliate in a way that the perpetrator would never forget.
No retaliation would be possible if EMP armed cruise missiles were fired from ships off the East Coast that would be scuttled and sunk after firing off the missile. One EMP missile each for New York, Washington, Boston would create plenty of chaos
There is also a new threat whereby a single nuclear weapon could paralyze the U.S.
It's hardly a new threat, it shows up every few years. Military systems are shielded, as are modern civilian systems. Newer cars could have a problem - most these days have plastic, not steel bodies and don't provide shielding - but the chips may be shielded to protect them from the engine's electromagnetic emanations from spark plugs and wiring. Here’s a link that has some good information -
http://www.cecer.army.mil/facts/sheets/FL16.html
From this site - http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/emp-terror.htm
“Electrical equipment is "hardened" to protect itself from an EMP. The basic concern of protection is cutting down the outside EMP level. Metallic shielding is used to route EMP fields away from vital electrical components. If it is also connected to a cable, transient protection like surge protectors, wire termination procedures, screened isolated transformers, protective enclosures, spark gaps, and filters are used to protect at the point of entry. To protect against EMP in an indirect way, other methods are used, such as increasing immediate backup units and avoidance (i.e. keeping equipment out of range of EMP bursts).”
The site also gives a good explanation of the EMP as a weapon and methods used to shield from it.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m strongly in favor of a viable missile defense, but my concern isn’t as much with the EMP weapon as with the standard nuke hitting a city.
Correct. An EMP weapon has never been used, the best we have is educated speculation.
From http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/emp-terror.htm
“The existence of the electromagnetic pulse has been known since the 1940's when nuclear weapons were being developed and tested. However, because of lack of data, the effects of an EMP were not fully known until 1962. At this time, the United States was conducting a series of high-altitude atmospheric tests, code named "Fishbowl." The nuclear explosion, "Starfish Prime," which was detonated in the Pacific Ocean 800 miles from Hawaii, caused an EMP that disrupted radio stations and electrical equipment throughout Hawaii. Consequently, in 1963, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Atmospheric Test Ban Treaty to counter the considerable threat posed by EMPs. Unfortunately, the destructive potential of an EMP increases everyday as society becomes evermore technological because of an escalating dependence on electronics. “
AMEN!
I’ll always said you don’t need a missile delivery system if you can drive a truck!
Now if we just knew what 'disrupted' meant...
The energy to do national damage would require a multi-megaton warhead. A nuclear warhead detonating on or above the US will result in a response the sender does not want to contemplate.
I suggest that electronics systems in 1962 were far different than today’s. Extrapolating 46-years old data based on ancient systems is not sound scientifically. While I’m sure there are theoretical reasons to worry about EMP, I would be cautious in accepting them based on data at hand.
Interesting because back then electronics were cruder thus more hardened just by the way they were made
Washington State Department of Health
Office of Radiation Protection
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)
What Is EMP and How Is It Created?
The most important mechanism for Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) production from a nuclear detonation is the ionization of air molecules by gamma rays generated from the explosion. These gamma rays ionize the air molecules by interacting with the air molecules to produce positive ions and recoil electrons called Compton electrons. This pulse of energy, which produces a powerful electromagnetic field, particularly within the vicinity of the weapon burst, is called an electromagnetic pulse. EMP can also be produced from non-nuclear sources, such as electromagnetic bombs, or E-bombs.
High-altitude nuclear detonations and electromagnetic bombs can generate EMP that has the potential to damage or destroy electronic devices over widespread areas. Electric power systems would also be at risk from surges produced by such weapons. However, the EMP from a kiloton-range surface nuclear explosion would not be expected to produce serious damage outside the radius of severe destruction from blast.
A 1.4 Megaton bomb launched about 250 miles above Kansas would destroy most of the electronics that were not protected in the entire Continental United States. During the brief return to atmospheric testing in 1962, a 1.4 megaton nuclear weapon was detonated over Johnston Island at an altitude of about 250 miles. The effects of EMP were observed in Hawaii, 800 miles east of the detonation. Streetlights and fuses failed on Oahu and telephone service was disrupted on the Island of Kauai.
MORE
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/rp/factsheets/factsheets-htm/fs41elecpuls.htm
Ever hear of a Trident submarine....
See post #7
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