

“If temporary outages are not acceptable, then the most stringent protection approach should be followed,” the report says. When deciding how best to protect critical infrastructure and related assets from the effects of EMPs, the report says that agencies and private sector operators should “consider the system’s architecture and design, location, geography, materials, that allow external EM energy penetrations and ancillary equipment.” And beyond assessing and remedying potential vulnerabilities in their systems, the report says that efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure from an EMP event should also consider the impact that an outage of any length would have on needed services.


In a press release, DHS said that the best practices and principles outlined in the report “can be implemented by critical infrastructure owners and operators who seek to secure their assets against EMP in a similar manner to the NPWS equipment.” It is critical to protect against the potential damage an EMP event could cause.” “This could impact millions of people over large parts of the country. “Electromagnetic pulses, whether caused by an intentional EMP attack or a naturally occurring geomagnetic disturbance from severe space weather, could disrupt critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid, communications equipment, water and wastewater systems, and transportation modes,” Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, DHS senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary for science and technology, said in a statement. According to DHS, FEMA has also conducted high-altitude EMP testing on NPWS equipment to verify that mitigation efforts are effectively protecting broadcast stations within the program. president to communicate with the American public in the event of a national emergency.įEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Program includes 77 private sector broadcast stations that use “multiple, connected EMP-protected shelters” and are “equipped with backup communications equipment and a power generator” to ensure that information can be broadcast through the NPWS without any EMP-related interruptions or interference.
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The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate on Tuesday released a report outlining a series of best practices that local, state and federal agencies-and private sector partners-should implement to protect critical infrastructure services from the effects of electromagnetic pulses.ĭHS’s Electromagnetic Pulse Shielding Mitigations report-which includes input from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and feedback from industry and government representatives-builds on the best practices used to protect the National Public Warning System, the network of radio stations that allows the U.S.
