U.S. still naked to EMP threat

Electricity grids down, uncontrolled fires from exploding gas transport systems, no communication to call for help, no water to battle fires: It's all part of a catastrophic scenario some scientists predict could happen under an electromagnetic pulse attack – and the Department of Homeland Security's 83-page emergency plan includes no mention of EMP or how it might respond to such an attack.

That's right. This article exposes the fact that DHS isn't planning for such an attack, the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon. Calling it a weapon of mass destruction would be an understatement, a major one. But here is the part of the column that really caught my attention:

When WND asked [DHS spokesman Russ] Knocke if DHS has a specific strategy to deal with an EMP attack, he said, "Not as we speak today. No." Asked if the department has considered creating a plan to address EMP threat following Congress' concern about such an attack, he replied: "The risk picture is ever changing. There's nothing in the strategic threat picture today that tells us there's an imminent EMP threat. That could change down the road as whatever circumstances in the world evolve. So, I am not telling you that it might never be among the highest priorities. We've actually looked at this issue, and we've looked at the entire spectrum of issues that we have to contend with when it comes to homeland security. But we have to prioritize. We're not in the business of being all things to all people at all times." [Emphasis: Mine]

That's right. The Dept. of Homeland Security doesn't consider the EMP weapon to be an imminent threat. Or, in my humble opinion, is it because we either have no way to stop it from ever happening, and - or - is there nothing that could be done in the way of emergency management should it ever happen? Or we could ask these questions in a different way: Is DHS predicting that it can ALWAYS be prevented? Will they ALWAYS be able to stop terrorists working for a rogue nation with a nuclear weapon? And then there is another question we could ponder on. How do we know that DHS doesn't have a secret emergency management plan outside of public knowledge in the case of an EMP attack? And of course, if it is secret, there would be a reason for it being secret. And that is what should scare us. I'm betting that you could let your imagination run wild on the various ways that they would accomplish "emergency management". That DHS spokesman wasn't telling us everything. read more | digg story