After the breakup of the Soviet Union (which happened back in 1991), I had the unique opportunity to visit a group Ukrainian scientists - mostly communication and IT specialists at one institute formally involved in military communications, now expanding into civilian applications. (Ukraine ...and not Russia was the actual "brains" and electronics manufacturing center and powerhouse behind the entire Soviet space program.) I was scouting for examples of science breakthroughs with commercial potential and was eventually escorted by the great folks at the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine or STCU in Kyiv to an complex which include a series of large non-descript 2 to 3 story-tall round pods (see scale model in top picture). The domes resembled astronomical observatories but with intricately spaced patchwork of criss-crossing metalic looking pipes encircling the entire structure -like scales on a dinosaur. Apparently, this was shielding to prevent against attacks of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiation - an advanced version of the basic Faraday Cage (see the ceiling in the second and third pictures)
As mentioned earlier, these used to be secret military establishments and I was reminded that I was one of the first westerners to see the inside and to visit them. In fact, they stressed the point that if I was caught inside this facility during the days of the USSR, I would have likely been shot as a cold war spy.
(Picture to the left) Legandary Ukrainian hospitality and superb cognac.
The memories of that visit came back to me today as I was reading about the hearings in the US House of Representatives last week about the threat of Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks against the USA (and by shear proximity Canada, as well) by hostile nations and proxy terrorists....remember Bond and Dr Strangelove?
These could include China, Russia and potentially Iran, North Korea and other rogue states. Iran has been testing sea-launched rockets in the Caspian Sea, with the tacit blessing of Russia.
An EMP blast from a 200 KiloVolt /meter bomb (which the Russians have admitted inventing) detonated 200-300 Km above Nebraska (in the middle of the USA) would fry all electrical and electronic machinery and circuits from the east coast to the west coast of the USA (and Canada as well) that are not EMP hardened or shielded.
Everyone should read this short report called The Emerging EMP Threat to the United States, by Dr. Mark Schneider , National Institute for Public Policy , Foreword By Congressman Roscoe Bartlett , U.S. House of Representatives (http://nipp.org/Adobe/EMP%20Paper%20Final%20November07.pdf )
And a must see ---an absolutely fascinating video by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett called Electromagnetic Pulse Attack Threat Raised in US Congress!” (see http://cspanjunkie.org/?p=171 )
The above report says:
"Modern electronics are particularly vulnerable to EMP effects. In 2004, the report from the Congressional Commission on the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) warned that:
Depending on the specific characteristics of the attacks, an unprecedented failure of our major infrastructures could result. In that event, a regional or national recovery would be long and difficult and would seriously degrade the safety and overall viability of our nation . . . The longer the outage, the more problematic and uncertain the recovery will be. It is possible for the functional outages to become mutually reinforcing until at some point the degradation of the infrastructure could have irreversible effects on the country’s ability to support its population.
While there would be little or no immediate loss of life resulting from this type of attack, modern electronic equipment would be damaged or destroyed over a large area with tremendous economic, political and military consequences for the nation. The Congressional EMP Commission concluded that nuclear EMP attack is currently a feasible option for Russia or China and a future capability for rogue states, such as Iran and North Korea. These nations could use EMP attacks to degrade the effectiveness of deployed on U.S.forces by knocking out or disrupting their electronics and communications. “
During the period of NATO military operations against Serbia in 1999, Russian Duma members threatened a U.S. Congressman with a nuclear EMP attack against the United States. Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-MD), records this encounter in 1999:
"We met with three of our Russian counterparts on the Duma International Affairs Committee, including its chairman, Vladimir Lukin, and senior Communist Party member Aleksandr Shabonov. On May 2, [1999] the Russians chastised the United States for military aggression in the Balkans and warned Russia was not helpless to oppose Operation Allied Force. Lukin said, ‘If we really wanted to hurt you with no fear of retaliation, we would launch an SLBM [submarine launched ballistic missile] and detonate a single nuclear warhead at high altitude over the United States and shut down your power grid and communications for six months or so.’ Shabonov added, ‘And if one weapon wouldn’t do it, we have some spares.’11
..[over 10,000 to be exact...wd]
Despite the reduction in the size of the Russian strategic nuclear force, Russia is apparently not neglecting the EMP attack potential of its strategic missile force. Dr. Lowell Wood has stated that Russia has continued to maintain the ability to launch a massive EMP attack on the United States. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Dr. Wood observed that:
“Soviet strategic strike forces characteristically have featured weaponry well-suited to efficient EMP generation over exceptionally wide areas. That EMP strike component exists today in the Russian strategic order-of-battle, moreover likely at its maximum Cold War strength. I very confidently predict that it will be one of the last features of Soviet strategic nuclear weaponry to be retired from the Russian strategic force structure”12 (Emphasis as in the original).
One way to protect yourself is with EMP shielding or hardening. But,EMP hardening is a long obsolete & forgotten capability/activity in America and Canada. In fact N.A may not even have the widespread expertise to do this any more. According to one report: many EMP testing facilities have been closed since the end of the Cold War, according to William A. Radasky, president of Metatech Corp. and an expert on protecting electronics from EMP. In addition, the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Army Corps of Engineers used to investigate materials and processes for EMP shielding applications. But, according to a spokesman, “All the money for that research dried up after the Berlin Wall came down.” Maybe Ukraine can help the West and reciprocate by providing EMP hardening shielding, manufacturing capabilities and experts.
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