To deal more effectively with today’s threats, we should return to President Ronald Reagan’s vision made explicit in his March 23, 1983 speech that launched the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The “powers that be” should revive technology programs aimed at developing space-based defenses, the most cost-effective way to defend against a full gamut of ballistic missile threats, including those that pose an existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat. Read Full Story
The Russian Bear on the prowl in Ukraine presents sobering global implications of a growing threat that could escalate even to place American equities at risk at home. We need both effective diplomatic and military responses—including an increased emphasis and funding for effective ballistic missile defenses for our friends and allies near the Bear and for Americans at home. Read Full Story
“I think that cutting the defense budget in significant ways right now is a serious mistake. You know, when we’ve cut the budget before—at the end of the Cold War, at the end of Vietnam and at other times, it’s been because we thought the world was going to be a safer place . . . at least we thought so temporarily at the time. No one can make that case right now. You look at the situation in Ukraine and our relationships with Russia. You look at the tensions between China and Japan and in the South China Sea. You look at Iran and North Korea. These guys are operating on the 20th century model of nation states, boundaries matter, strategic interests matter, zero sum game, I win, you lose. This is the way these countries look at the world. It’s different than the way the West Europeans and we look at it, and frankly the pace at which both the Europeans and the United States [are] cutting their defenses, regardless of what the facts on the ground in terms of the number of ships and number of planes, it certainly sends a signal that we are not interested in protecting our global interests.” . . . Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates, March 9, 2015 Read Full Story
Everyone should be aware of the instabilities created by Russia’s interference in Ukraine—and it could rapidly go quite badly. Some have recalled the implausible events and misjudgments that led to World War I and wondered about a recurrence. Furthermore, if Iran or anyone else launches a nuclear weapon to high altitude over the U.S. and detonates it to create an electromagnetic pulse, also in the “blink of an eye” that could lead to the death of several hundred million Americans. Read Full Story
We understand the electric power grid vulnerabilities and how to fix them—if the powers that be would take the needed initiatives. Yet they dither while the growing nuclear proliferation threat presents a serious concern that we may experience a devastating attack before necessary countermeasures are enacted. Our failing diplomacy and lethargic defense programs are sapping our strength, leaving us with friends who don’t trust us and enemies who don’t fear us. Time is running out for us to rectify this situation. And our enemies know it. Read Full Story
As the mainstream media’s awareness of threats to the electric power grid grows and recent weather reminds us of even worse events that will happen, the powers that be need to develop ways to shield against them. These threats extend from physical attacks, to cyber attacks, to natural and manmade electromagnetic pulse events that could take down the grid for an indefinite period of time, during which several hundred million Americans could perish. Read Full Story
Recent press accounts illustrate the mainstream media’s growing awareness of threats to the electric power grid and the need to counter them. These threats extend from physical attacks, to cyber attacks, to natural and manmade electromagnetic pulse events that could take down the grid for an indefinite period of time, during which several hundred million Americans could perish. We must connect the dots and deploy needed countermeasures! Read Full Story
Several important news reports highlight the growing awareness of manmade and natural electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threats and the importance of hardening the currently vulnerable electric power grid to these and other effects. And the growing social media outlets are also highlighting these concerns as well as the companion growing threat from Iran. Read Full Story
The State of the Union Address was notable in that it provided nothing new—and misrepresented a number of important matters. The President’s threat to veto legislation calling for sanctions on Iran if they do not cease their development of nuclear weapons was extremely counterproductive and raises the stakes for assuring as quickly as possible that we defend against Iranian ballistic missiles that could create an existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Read Full Story
Last Saturday evening on Fox News, Judge Jeanine Pirro summarized my concerns perfectly in her five minute monologue on the existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat and the incredibly “reckless and irresponsible” Washington establishment which has for years known about this problem and taken no effective measures to deal with it. As argued in my last message at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention in Myrtle Beach, I believe that private citizens must get involved, educate themselves and work with their local, state and federal authorities to counter this existential threat to all Americans—and the National Guard can play an important role. Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.