DHS: DOD Systems Threatened by Electromagnetic Pulse Attacks

Experts from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Department of Defense (DOD) have told a House Homeland Security subcommittee that the national infrastructure and the systems owned by the DOD could be damaged if electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks are launched against them.

According to Government Computer News, the DOD depends a great deal on the commercial electric grid and there could be devastating consequences in case of solar storms or EMP attacks.

Officials fear that Russia and other countries are currently enhancing their EMP capabilities and the US now lacks the protection needed against attacks relying on this technology.

Rep. Trent Franks stressed that major transformers are the most exposed and that hardware protection should be installed on the most critical elements.

Currently, no legislation exists to defend critical infrastructure against such threats and the industry hasn’t rushed to adopt any measures.

A solution to this problem could lie in the next-generation microgrids that enable local power generation and storage. These systems are now being developed by the DOD.