The Danger of EMP Requires Innovative and Strategic Action

Considered by some to be the stuff of science fiction, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack poses a direct threat to the U.S. electric grid—a threat that is poorly understood and lacks the leadership to address it. An EMP—a high-intensity burst of energy caused by a rapid acceleration of charged particles from either solar weather or a nuclear bomb detonated high in the atmosphere—has the potential to cause devastating damage to the U.S. electric grid and severely impede recovery efforts.

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