EMP Threat
Air Force experts search for ways to protect critical infrastructure from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack
Field survey involves an upcoming EMP vulnerability assessment to determine the kinds of critical infrastructure might be most vulnerable to EMP.Mar 17th, 2021
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A U.S. Air Force base in Texas is getting ready to test its infrastructure against an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack and needs to do preliminary site surveys to design future tests. Nextgov reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
17 March 2021 — Officials at Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, issued a solicitation for an EMP-tailored survey of how to protect the installation’s petroleum, oil, and lubrication complex — several buildings in two areas of the base connected by an underground pipeline.
The Air Force is conducting this test in adherence with an executive order requiring the military and key agencies involved in securing critical infrastructure to put more resources into defending against EMP attacks, in which electromagnetic waves have the potential to knock out all electronic components.
The initial tests won’t include actual electromagnetic waves, but instead will review engineering plans, schematics and other documentation to determine which infrastructure is vulnerable to EMP. That work will go into a report to inform the next stage of EMP vulnerability testing.
Related: Nuclear proliferation raises the specter of EMP attack
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics