Heritage Foundation – Electromagnetic Pulse Attack -

How an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack Could Destroy the U.S.

Imagine a scenario in which our nation’s power grids, power sources and supply mechanisms shut down simultaneously. Imagine an attack that would irreparably cripple the country and inflict large-scale damage while critically limiting our recovery abilities. This scenario could happen if an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack occured in America. Here are a couple of frequently asked questions about EMP.

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Q: What is an EMP?
A: EMP stands for electromagnetic pulse. An EMP is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. An EMP can be a weapon of mass disruption when these particles, either through a nuclear warhead or a bomb composed of isolated electromagnetic particles, spread throughout electronic infrastructure, wreaking extensive damage on our electronic systems and vastly crippling America’s recovery abilities.

Q: What would an EMP attack do?
A: An EMP attack would send our nation’s electrical systems into chaos. The shock would disrupt sensors, communication systems, protective systems, computers and other similar devices. Have you seen the film Ocean’s Eleven? When all the power on the Las Vegas Strip went out for three minutes? An EMP attack would be similar, but MUCH larger in scale and the power would not come back on.

Q: Is an EMP attack a real threat? Is any country capable of attacking us with EMP?
A: It is a very real threat. Twenty-seven nations have nuclear capabilities, and that number continues to grow. In addition, both Russia and China have dabbled in EMP technologies.

Q: How much damage would occur?
A: Basically, America would go back to the functionality of the 1800s. A successful EMP attack would result in airplanes literally falling from the sky, vehicles would stop functioning, and water, sewer, and electrical networks would likely fail all at once. Without electricity and computers, the banking system would fail, leaving us with no access to money. Food would rot, health care would be impossible to administer and there would be no transportation. Communication would be limited, preventing federal, state and local governments from communicating with each other. The rule of law would become impossible to sustain; police departments would be overwhelmed.

Q: But cities lose power all the time. When it storms, my power goes out and it always comes back on. Wouldn’t that happened after an EMP attack?
A: When the power goes out, cars and aircrafts usually are not directly affected, and most communication systems remain intact. However, in an EMP attack, the damage to power lines, infrastructure and commercial computers would very likely be permanent.