January 7, 2015—2015 Priorities

The nation’s nuclear power plants are both: 1) A serious hazard to all Americans if not protected—and alternatively, 2) If they are protected, an important countermeasure because they can play a major role in recovering the electric grid if it fails from either a natural or manmade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event—or from other threats, such as from physical or cyber attacks.

In 2015, High Frontier will continue explaining to all who will listen that America is vulnerable to an existential threat, and that we are doing little to counter it—but we can!

Since our time and resources are limited, like all of you, we must choose our top priorities among many possible ways we could spend our efforts. My top three priority efforts will be devoted to describing:

How the nation’s nuclear power plants are both: 1) A serious hazard to all Americans if not protected—and alternatively, 2) If they are protected, an important countermeasure because they can play a major role in recovering the electric grid if it fails from either a natural or manmade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event—or from other threats, such as from physical or cyber attacks.
Our total vulnerability to attacks from North Korea or Iran via satellite-borne nuclear weapon carried over the South Polar regions to create an EMP over the entire United States—and how such threats can affordably be countered. Such attacks would no doubt be coordinated with advance physical and cyber attacks.
Our serious vulnerability to ballistic missile attacks from off our coasts—particularly from the Gulf of Mexico—by North Korea, Iran or even terrorists; and how to affordably counter that threat.

While dealing with these issues, I intend to give top priority to the first. Assuring the viability of our nuclear reactors will help restore the grid should it be taken down by other attack strategies. Note:

Following the terrorist takedown of the Metcalf Substation near San Jose, California, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Jon Wellinghoff a year ago reported that concurrent physical attacks on only nine key substations could cause the loss of the entire grid for eighteen months.
Admiral Michael Rogers, the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) testified last November before the House Intelligence Committee that he expects a major cyber attack on the U.S. power grid by China and/or others—and that we are unprepared to deal with it.
China has long conspired with North Korea and Iran—so it is not a great leap to imagine that such a conjunction exists to threaten us. After all, it has been widely reported that the FBI says North Korea executed such an attack on Sony to which President Obama has promised a “proportional response.” What would be the proportional response if North Korea took down our entire grid? And what about the recent Cylance report on Operation Cleaver discussed in our December 8, 2014 message, which indicates that Iran has a significant cyber warfare capability?

Briefly consider the following figure—given that a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words. Note the important link, from which you can get a current view of the winds over the United States that could carry radioactivity should our nuclear reactors experience a Fukushima-like catastrophe, as would occur in several threat scenarios we should consider as being plausible.

As illustrated by clicking on the above link a few times a day to consider the evolving wind pattern and the locations of the nation’s reactors, our friends in New England should take little comfort from Vermont’s recent decision to take down its Yankee reactor on the shores of the Connecticut River.

Personally, I am an advocate of nuclear power, which provides about 20-percent of the nation’s electricity—and 60-percent of the electricity for my home state (South Carolina), which is building two more reactors. We just need to assure that the reactors are viable in the face of the above mentioned all too real threats. Not only would that avoid a radiation fallout calamity after a major grid shutdown—their survival and continued ability to supply power would enable recovery if most of the remaining grid were lost.

In my judgment, this is a critically important undertaking, because the powers that be are not responsibly dealing with these issues. Again, I encourage you to click here for an important letter to the President, sent 18 months ago, discussing the EMP threat and recommending how to deal with it, including hardening the grid and building effective defenses. I co-signed this important letter from the Directors of the Foundation for Resilient Societies. It is still unanswered.

A quick review of our past email messages, posted on www.highfrontier.org will inform you of many details related to the manmade and natural EMP threats and how we can protect America against them. Yes, we also remain vulnerable to the EMP caused by a major solar storm that will one day surely create this threat condition—and we are not dealing with it.

Help us make 2015 a successful year to remember! And may God bless America!

What can you do?

Join us in praying for our nation, and for a rebirth of the freedom sought, achieved and passed to us by those who came before us.

Help us to spread our message to the grass roots and to encourage all “powers that be” to provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

Begin by passing this message to your friends and suggest they visit our webpage, www.highfrontier.org for more information. Also, please encourage your sphere of influence to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.

I hope you will help us with our urgently needed efforts, which I will be discussing in future messages. Click here to make your tax deductible gift. If you prefer to mail a check, Please send it to 500 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

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