High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments
Abstract
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an instantaneous, intense energy field that can disrupt at a distance numerous electrical systems and high technology microcircuits that are especially sensitive to power surges. A large-scale EMP effect can be produced by a single nuclear explosion detonated high in the atmosphere. This method is referred to as High-Altitude EMP (HEMP). A similar, smaller scale EMP effect can be created using non-nuclear devices with powerful batteries or reactive chemicals. This method is called High Power Microwave (HPM). Several nations, including sponsors of terrorism, may currently have a capability to use EMP as a weapon for cyberterrorism to disrupt communications and other parts of the U.S. critical infrastructure. Some equipment and weapons used by the U.S. military may be vulnerable to the effects of EMP. The threat of an EMP attack against the United States is hard to assess, but some observers indicate that it is growing along with worldwide access to newer technologies and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In the past, the threat of mutually assured destruction provided a deterrent against the exchange of multiple high-yield nuclear warheads. But now even a single, specially designed low-yield nuclear explosion high above the United States, or over a battlefield, can produce a large-scale EMP effect that could result in a widespread loss of electronics, but no direct deaths, and may not necessarily evoke a large nuclear retaliatory strike by the U.S. military. This, coupled with the possible vulnerability of U.S. commercial electronics and U.S. military battlefield equipment to the effects of EMP, may create a new incentive for other countries to develop or acquire a nuclear capability. What is the United States doing to protect civilian critical infrastructure systems against the threat of EMP, and how does the vulnerability of U.S. civilian and military electronics to EMP attack encourage other nations to acquire nuclear weapons?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 14, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA447874
Entities
People
- Clay Wilson
Organizations
- Library of Congress