Yesterday, I came across to an updated(April 14, 2006) CRS report - High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments, a topic I covered in a previous post related to asymmetric warfare.
Basically, it outlines critical issues such as, what is the U.S(or pretty much any other country thinking asymmetric warfare) doing to ensure critical civil infrastructure is protected against EMP attacks, how does the vulnerability of EMP attacks encourage other nations to develop such capabilities, and yes, of course the "threat" of terrorist EMP warfare -- in your wildest dreams only. An excerpt :
"However, other analysts maintain that some testing done by the U.S. military may have been flawed, or incomplete, leading to faulty conclusions about the level of resistance of commercial equipment to the effects of EMP. These analysts point out that EMP technology has been explored by several other nations, and as circuitry becomes more miniaturized, modern electronics become increasingly vulnerable to disruption. They argue that it could possibly take years for the United States to recover fully from widespread damage to electronics resulting from a large-scale EMP attack."
Why wouldn't a "reported sponsor of terrorist" nations wage EMP warfare, or even try to over the U.S? Because they would have the U.S in their backyard in less than a day, but the opportunity to balance the powers, or achieve temporary military advantage given the attack remains undetected is a tempting factor for future developments -- the ongoing miniaturization and the fact that intense energy effects can be can be produced without an A-Bomb makes it even worse. Surgical HPM and EMP attacks without fear of retaliation is what possible adversaries could be aiming at, and of course portability :
"Other HPM weapons being tested by the military are portable and re-usable through battery-power, and are effective when fired miles away from a target. These weapons can also be focused like a laser beam and tuned to an appropriate frequency in order to penetrate electronics that are heavily shielded against a nuclear attack. The deepest bunkers with the thickest concrete walls reportedly are not safe from such a beam if they have even a single unprotected wire reaching the surface."
Yesterday I was looking for an article I wrote in 1998 on Nuclear Weapons and seem to have found it -- it makes me smile given my age, and the fact that I had to orally defend the topic, hope you will find it an interesting retro read :) I don't necessarily agree with all the things, it just the way I was perceiving the world back than. For instance, Russia didn't accelerate their scientific efforts, as the A-bomb secret eventually leaked out to them, and with the fall of the Soviet Union and ICBMs available in every corner of the country and its republics, it wasn't hard for other nations to piggyback too.
Did you know that Stalin was aware of the U.S's A-bomb, even before Harry Truman was? -- the consequence of too much secrecy sometimes!
Nuclear Weapons
There has always been war, and will always be though we live in more peaceful world nowadays. It's a long time that nuclear weapons are not the same threat to the world's peace as they were years ago. Despite all the reducement and limitation of nuclear weapons they haven't disappeared yet completely. Today all the nuclear arsenals are able to kill everybody on EARTH, a thousand times, though nobody wants to die even once. One of the greatest scientific and human's achievements - mastering the nuclear energy, is in position both to change the traditional sources of energy, and to move toward the social progress. However, this discovery was used not in people's behalf, but against it.
During Truman's leadership nuclear scientists were working on the project"MANHATTAN" as they were to finish mastering the nuclear energy, but they didn't know that their discovery would change completely the world to worse, demanding death to million people. Americans have always been competing with Russians in each sphere. When Americans discovered the A-BOMB Russians were far from it. Then Truman decided to drive Russia into a corner. But he didn't have the chance, due to Stalin who ostensibly didn't pay attention to the threat. To show his power Truman threw the A-BOMB on Hiroshima on 6 of August at 8 :00 am. It generated a huge amoung of energy when it exploded. Most people died within a few hours. By the end 0f 1945 the estimated number of peole who died as a direct result of the bomb was 140,000. But later it has been concluded that the number of people who died was approximately 200,000, even more. Russia decided that it could't last so long and accelerated the speed of doing their project for the A-BOMB several times. Only for 4 years they worked it out which the Americans succeeded for 20. As Russia's A-BOMB appeared the United State's plans for starting a war and attack Russia made them think.
All their plans went wrong. When the U.S controlled the weapons of mass destruction their strategists used to think about the harmful power of the weapons. Now, the U.S have completely changed their policy line. When a conflict arise anywhere in world they would help. When a disaster damages a country, when a war starts they always stand by the side of the weaker. They mastered outer space and they don't do it just for themselves but for the whole mankind. Now all the people in world develop good relationships. But we live in a troubled world. Our daily cares are increasingly dwarfed by the thought that they may vanish in a flash. People separated by continents and oceans are uneted in their wish to prevent the global nuclear catastrophe. Young people today do not wish war they want peace and love. It's not just a wish, it's a must!
This is eight years ago, and I'm still keeping the spirit I guess :) Continue reading →
Basically, it outlines critical issues such as, what is the U.S(or pretty much any other country thinking asymmetric warfare) doing to ensure critical civil infrastructure is protected against EMP attacks, how does the vulnerability of EMP attacks encourage other nations to develop such capabilities, and yes, of course the "threat" of terrorist EMP warfare -- in your wildest dreams only. An excerpt :
"However, other analysts maintain that some testing done by the U.S. military may have been flawed, or incomplete, leading to faulty conclusions about the level of resistance of commercial equipment to the effects of EMP. These analysts point out that EMP technology has been explored by several other nations, and as circuitry becomes more miniaturized, modern electronics become increasingly vulnerable to disruption. They argue that it could possibly take years for the United States to recover fully from widespread damage to electronics resulting from a large-scale EMP attack."
Why wouldn't a "reported sponsor of terrorist" nations wage EMP warfare, or even try to over the U.S? Because they would have the U.S in their backyard in less than a day, but the opportunity to balance the powers, or achieve temporary military advantage given the attack remains undetected is a tempting factor for future developments -- the ongoing miniaturization and the fact that intense energy effects can be can be produced without an A-Bomb makes it even worse. Surgical HPM and EMP attacks without fear of retaliation is what possible adversaries could be aiming at, and of course portability :
"Other HPM weapons being tested by the military are portable and re-usable through battery-power, and are effective when fired miles away from a target. These weapons can also be focused like a laser beam and tuned to an appropriate frequency in order to penetrate electronics that are heavily shielded against a nuclear attack. The deepest bunkers with the thickest concrete walls reportedly are not safe from such a beam if they have even a single unprotected wire reaching the surface."
Yesterday I was looking for an article I wrote in 1998 on Nuclear Weapons and seem to have found it -- it makes me smile given my age, and the fact that I had to orally defend the topic, hope you will find it an interesting retro read :) I don't necessarily agree with all the things, it just the way I was perceiving the world back than. For instance, Russia didn't accelerate their scientific efforts, as the A-bomb secret eventually leaked out to them, and with the fall of the Soviet Union and ICBMs available in every corner of the country and its republics, it wasn't hard for other nations to piggyback too.
Did you know that Stalin was aware of the U.S's A-bomb, even before Harry Truman was? -- the consequence of too much secrecy sometimes!
Nuclear Weapons
There has always been war, and will always be though we live in more peaceful world nowadays. It's a long time that nuclear weapons are not the same threat to the world's peace as they were years ago. Despite all the reducement and limitation of nuclear weapons they haven't disappeared yet completely. Today all the nuclear arsenals are able to kill everybody on EARTH, a thousand times, though nobody wants to die even once. One of the greatest scientific and human's achievements - mastering the nuclear energy, is in position both to change the traditional sources of energy, and to move toward the social progress. However, this discovery was used not in people's behalf, but against it.
During Truman's leadership nuclear scientists were working on the project"MANHATTAN" as they were to finish mastering the nuclear energy, but they didn't know that their discovery would change completely the world to worse, demanding death to million people. Americans have always been competing with Russians in each sphere. When Americans discovered the A-BOMB Russians were far from it. Then Truman decided to drive Russia into a corner. But he didn't have the chance, due to Stalin who ostensibly didn't pay attention to the threat. To show his power Truman threw the A-BOMB on Hiroshima on 6 of August at 8 :00 am. It generated a huge amoung of energy when it exploded. Most people died within a few hours. By the end 0f 1945 the estimated number of peole who died as a direct result of the bomb was 140,000. But later it has been concluded that the number of people who died was approximately 200,000, even more. Russia decided that it could't last so long and accelerated the speed of doing their project for the A-BOMB several times. Only for 4 years they worked it out which the Americans succeeded for 20. As Russia's A-BOMB appeared the United State's plans for starting a war and attack Russia made them think.
All their plans went wrong. When the U.S controlled the weapons of mass destruction their strategists used to think about the harmful power of the weapons. Now, the U.S have completely changed their policy line. When a conflict arise anywhere in world they would help. When a disaster damages a country, when a war starts they always stand by the side of the weaker. They mastered outer space and they don't do it just for themselves but for the whole mankind. Now all the people in world develop good relationships. But we live in a troubled world. Our daily cares are increasingly dwarfed by the thought that they may vanish in a flash. People separated by continents and oceans are uneted in their wish to prevent the global nuclear catastrophe. Young people today do not wish war they want peace and love. It's not just a wish, it's a must!
This is eight years ago, and I'm still keeping the spirit I guess :) Continue reading →
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