U.S.'S SECRET WEAPON AGAINST IRAQ (electromagnetic pulse bomb)

Newsmax Insider Report ^ | 8/29/02 | Limbacher

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Last week when President Bush met with the ever proper, suit-clad Donald Rumsfeld in Crawford, Texas, he met with the press and told them that when the time comes, a full discussion will reveal all the facts about Iraq.

President Bush offered a litany of factors that will be fully discussed, including, he said, "new technologies."

The buzz in Washington is that Bush was referring to a new weapon the Pentagon plans to use against Iraq, with devastating effect.

The new weapon is known as an "EMP" or electromagnetic pulse bomb. Such a weapon is not new to military planners.

When a nuclear device is exploded, it emits a powerful EMP that blows transistors and electric circuits for hundreds of miles. A successful EMP will knock out all electrical and communication systems. Even cars and trucks will stop working. Modern life will come to a screeching halt.

Apparently, the U.S. has perfected a weapon that emits a powerful EMP without the nuclear blast.

A Washington insider says such a weapon over Baghdad would likely collapse Saddam's command and control instantly.

"Saddam's Republican Guard won't even be able to use walk talkies," the insider tells NewsMax.com.

[Cyber Liberty]

A good weapon. Must be careful to not let it backfire.

[SunStar]

Wow. This is huge. We are the only people in the world who have become privy to this secret! [/sarcasm]

[Consort]

Don't tell anybody.

[dead]

I hope no Iraqis subscribe to Newsmax's email alerts!

[Texas Mom]

Not a secret anymore.

[Vinnie]

Hasn't the Chicoms installed a fiber optic system? I'm sure I read that. EMP won't affect fiber.

[Ditto]

I guess we'll know they used it when CNN suddenly goes black. ;~))

[Poohbah]

EMP won't affect the fiber itself, just the routers and switches that use the fiber.

However, this story ignores the biggest problem: EMP effects realiably lethal to electronics are also going to be reliably lethal to a large part of the civilian population in the immediate area (imagine sticking your head in a microwave oven, jimmying the safety interlock, and turning the thing on at full power). And you can write off anyone with a pacemaker, as well.

[ASA Vet]

EMP won't affect fiber

True, but every fiber must terminate in some electronic device.

[dennisw]

Hasn't the Chicoms installed a fiber optic system? I'm sure I read that. EMP won't affect fiber.

All I know is the Chinese laying/engineering fiber optics to connect radars, anti-aircraft missile batteries and their command/control centers. A few of these EMP blasts would fry the electronics in all three places. So the fiber optic connects will be irrelevant.

 

[anguish]

To lazy to go search for it, but I'm quite sure there was an article yesterday about Britain having made such a device, and that they were planning on using it on Iraq.

[LibWhacker]

Good! We're just one tiny step away from an electrochemical pulse bomb that will re-boot the human brain for a thousand miles around Mecca and Medina.

Bejing, Moscow, and most of Europe could stand to have one dropped on them, too.

Let's keep those R&D dollars pouring into the Pentagon!

[weikel]

I would be very uncomfortable about giving the rest of the world a lets develop EMP urge. Nobody is more vunerable to EMP than the US.

[dts32041]

Start worrying when we use mass drivers.

EMP small potatoes, can eventually be repiared, but mass drivers now that is a little more of a problem.

[DK Zimmerman]

Key phrase is, "modern life" - who says Iraq has modern anything?

Okay, now, it could well have more advanced cellular phones than the US (many 3rd world areas do....since it is the first telephone of any kind, they install the latest and greatest). Anyone who has a new car, ditto.

But for those in Soviet tanks, APCs, and aircraft this means almost squat! When one of the first MIG29s was brought to us, we laughed at its antiquated tube technology, until we discovered that was only part of its EMP hardening.

Generally speaking, an EMP attack could put us on our collective butts. (Civilian and military) It is NOT as significant to anyone using Soviet weapon systems using pre- 70s or so technology of any sort.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Someone said the Brits had come up with the E bomb...

[ASA Vet]

I have several boxes of tubes sitting around that would suddenly be worth big $.

[backhoe]

2.	empwarheads.htm
	The history, current technology status and applications of electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMP). 6/10/2002 http://www.deepspace4.com/pages/science/emp/empwarheads.htm See results from this site only.

3.	Strategic Affairs - Analysis
	Intelligence Weapons and Equipment Technology Top Brass Reportage Analysis Warfare Newsbrief Books Websites On Record Archive Home EMP - Nightmare for industrialized nations D. Sridar FOR THE smooth o 6/15/2001 http://www.stratmag.com/issueJune-15/page07.htm See results from this site only.