There is a potential of attack from electromagnetic impulse (EMP) in the United States. An EMP is an above-atmospheric level detonation of devices that are nucleic which will generate enough radiation to bring damages to all systems of electricity. The United States have a high possibility of getting this type of attack. With the dependence on electronic devices in the United States, the probability of an EMP attack is real. There is a high likelihood of EMP attack from Iran basing on statements from the regime of Iran. If Iran could acquire a nuclear weapon, then they are likely to have an EMP attack on the United States. Although there are speculations that the adversaries cannot use a nuclear weapon for EMP attack, the weapon will cause a more devastating impact if used directly. There would be more lasting and destructive effects if a nuclear weapon is used to cause an EMP attack (Agarwal et al., 2010).
US policy makers should be concerned with high-effect lower-probability EMP attack than that of the solar weather event. This is because of the fact that even though there is the issue of global warming, this can be controlled by them. An EMP attack will be brief and will bring systems to stand still (Conrad et al., 2010).
Some of the mitigating factors that can be undertaken by United States Homeland Security Department include protecting critical components of the power infrastructure. These include large turbines, generators and transformers. They can be protected so that they are hardly damaged beyond controlled. This will help in the recovery process. There should be recovery plans in place so that there is an adequate and timely response to any form of attack.
For individuals, surge protectors serve to mitigate the damages from EMP attacks. There should be surge protectors attached to electronic devices. This will protect individuals from getting further attacks and damages from EMP attacks (Radasky, 2012).
There should be standards introduced to ensure security for devices which are brought to work. There is an increase in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in many organizations. This will ensure security in the workplace. One standard that can be introduced in this is assessing the equipment that is brought to the workplace. Before one is allowed to use heir devices, they should be assessed. Every organization should come up with policies that will assess all equipment that are brought to the workplace.
References
Agarwal, P. K., Efrat, A., Ganjugunte, S. K., Hay, D., Sankararaman, S., & Zussman, G. (2010, October). Network vulnerability to single, multiple, and probabilistic physical attacks. In MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE, 2010-MILCOM 2010 (pp. 1824-1829). IEEE.
Conrad, E. E., Gurtman, G. A., Kweder, G., Mandell, M. J., & White, W. W. (2010). Collateral Damage to Satellites from an EMP Attack (No. DTRA-IR-10-22). DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY FORT BELVOIR VA.
Radasky, W. A. (2012). The potential impacts of three High Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) threats on Smart Grids. Electromagnetic Compatibility Magazine, IEEE, 1(2), 107-110.
