Tag Archives: EMP

April 17, 2014—Defeat Iran’s FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on April 17, 2014 in Aegis, EMP, FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea

Iran, like North Korea, has demonstrated an ability to launch nuclear weapons into low earth orbit over the South Polar regions. Last year, they launched a monkey into space in such a trajectory, reportedly in a 4400 pound capsule that could easily carry a conventionally designed nuclear weapon into orbit. If they launched a much lighter “EMP” nuclear weapon possibly in the North Korean inventory, they could achieve substantially higher orbits. (Detonation of either weapon over the U.S. could lead to the death of several hundred million Americans within a year.) These facts, coupled with geographic realities, make defending against an Iranian FOBS more difficult than is the case for North Korea. And the Iranian Mullahs may be more inclined to attack “the Great Satan” than is North Korea’s Dear Leader. We can and should quickly end our vulnerability to both emerging if not existing threats. Read Full Story

April 11, 2014—Defeat North Korea’s FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on April 10, 2014 in Aegis, EMP, FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, North Korea

A combined diplomatic and technical response is proposed to counter effectively North Korea’s demonstrated FOBS capability, which poses an existential EMP threat to the American people. We should insist on inspecting their satellite payloads for launches over the South Polar regions, and if they refuse be prepared to shoot down their satellites before they overfly U.S. territory. We should deploy a layered set of sea- and land-based defenses to do so, beginning almost immediately—and for relatively little expense since existing mostly already funded defense capabilities would be employed. Read Full Story

March 25, 2014—Put the Stars Back Into Star Wars!

by Scott Cooper on March 25, 2014 in EMP, GPALS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea, Space Defense

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

March 12, 2014—Still a Dangerous World . . .

by Scott Cooper on March 12, 2014 in EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, Russia

“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

March 5, 2014—In the Blink of an Eye . . .

by Scott Cooper on March 5, 2014 in EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, Ukraine

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

February 25, 2014—Proliferation Cacophony Crescendo?

by Scott Cooper on February 25, 2014 in EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, Proliferation

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

February 20, 2014—Threat Potpourri…Including the Weather!

by Scott Cooper on February 20, 2014 in Electric Power Grid, Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense

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

February 6, 2014—Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

by Scott Cooper on February 6, 2014 in Electric Power Grid, Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP, H. Scott Cooper, High Frontier, SC EMP Protection, Wall Street Journal

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

January 13, 2014—Space: The Final Frontier?

by Scott Cooper on January 13, 2014 in Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, Space Defense

After reviewing our previous messages on the EMP threat from space posed by North Korea and Iran (associated with instabilities in the Middle East), we update our concerns about Russia and especially China. The bad news: Chinese belligerence is growing and includes threats to our critically important space systems. The good news: Space Command is considering new architectures to be more survivable with capabilities that only can be provided by space-based defenses. Read Full Story

January 6, 2014—Resolution for 2014: Provide for the Common Defense!

by Scott Cooper on January 5, 2014 in Aegis Ashore, Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP, Gulf of Mexico, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, National Guard

Resolve: We will proactively work with grass roots citizens and the local, state and federal “powers that be” to understand and respond effectively to the existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat, particularly as delivered by ballistic missiles launched from vessels off our coasts, especially from the Gulf of Mexico; we will focus on empowering the National Guard to lead critically important efforts to achieve integrated measures for prevention and response. Read Full Story