The EMP Bomb

Posted: 21st March 2025

This Project Save the World forum delves into a significant and urgent issue: the threat posed by Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks and the vulnerabilities of modern society. Metta Spencer, the moderator, brings together two experts in the field: William Forstchen, a military historian and author in the United States, and John Hallam, a peace activist and nuclear disarmament advocate in Australia. The discussion explores the potential consequences of EMP weapons and natural events, such as solar flares, on our global infrastructure.

Understanding EMP

The conversation begins with a basic explanation of EMPs. William Forstchen explains that an EMP weapon is typically triggered by a small nuclear warhead, detonated in space at an altitude of about 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. This detonation creates a phenomenon known as the Compton Effect, which cascades downward, disrupting electronic equipment and power grids across large areas. Unlike traditional nuclear weapons, EMP weapons are more focused and localized, potentially knocking out entire regions without causing widespread physical destruction.

William Forstchen

Forstchen emphasizes the terrifying implications of such an attack, noting that just one EMP strike could disable an entire country’s power infrastructure, leading to cascading failures in essential services like water, food supply, and medical care. This would result in massive casualties, as modern civilization is entirely dependent on electricity. The vulnerability of society, as Forstchen points out, is stark: “We’ve been lucky for 80 years, but how much longer can we keep dodging the bullet?”

Historical Context and the Carrington Event

The conversation then shifts to historical context, with the mention of the Carrington Event, a solar storm from 1859 that caused telegraph systems to short-circuit. John Hallam compares this natural EMP event to the potential impact of a nuclear EMP strike, noting that both phenomena can have devastating effects on electrical systems. The Carrington Event was caused by a massive solar flare, and though rare, such events will happen again, potentially causing widespread outages. Some experts estimate that they happen about every 150 years. If true, we may be overdue for one now. And nothing whatever is being done to prepare for that risk.

Forstchen provides a chilling insight into how solar storms and EMP weapons are similar in their effects on modern technology, noting that the modern electrical grid is more vulnerable than ever. In the past, there were systems in place to protect key infrastructure, but as Hallam points out, this protection has eroded over time.

John Hallam

The Potential for Global Disaster

The panelists then explore the geopolitical implications of EMPs. Both experts agree that EMP weapons could be deployed by rogue states or even terrorist groups, with North Korea often cited as a potential threat. A single EMP detonation, especially over a major power like the United States, could bring down the nation’s infrastructure, leading to chaos, societal collapse, and many millions of deaths.

Hallam highlights that the effects of an EMP attack would not be immediate. Instead, it would unfold slowly, starting with the loss of electrical power and cascading into a breakdown of society. He explains that without power, there would be no water, no food supply, no communication, and no functioning hospitals. What follows is a grim scenario where society quickly unravels due to its dependence on technology.

Mitigating the Threat: Hardening Infrastructure

In response to the growing vulnerability, the discussion turns to potential solutions. One of the most discussed topics is “hardening” the electrical grid to make it more resilient to EMPs. Forstchen argues that the U.S. electrical grid is outdated and vulnerable, pointing out that many of its components are 40 years old. He advocates for a modernized grid, equipped with EMP-resistant technologies, to prevent catastrophic failure.

John Hallam agrees, but with caution. He notes that while the technical fixes to reduce vulnerability to EMPs are straightforward, they have not been implemented. The cost of hardening the grid is a major obstacle, as the necessary investments have been sidelined in favor of other priorities, such as military spending and renewable energy projects. As Hallam states, “We’re whistling in the dark.”

Cultural and Political Challenges

Despite the technical solutions being available, the conversation shifts to the cultural and political challenges in addressing the EMP threat. Hallam emphasizes that the disarmament movement has ignored the issue of EMP, focusing instead on other uses of nuclear weapons. He calls for more awareness within the movement about the potential dangers of EMP and urges greater public engagement on the issue. All it would take to end civilization might be two or three EMP bombs exploded high in the atmosphere – one above the US, one above Europe, and maybe one above India and China.

Metta Spencer, who has spent decades advocating for nuclear disarmament, reflects on the difficulty of rallying support for nuclear disarmament, let alone addressing the EMP threat. And the geopolitical drama of today is not favorable toward nuclear disarmament. Quite the contrary. Now new countries are deciding that they might acquire their own nuclear weapons to keep Putin from attacking. Poland has recently declared its interest in having nuclear weapons on its soil. However much we oppose nuclear weapons, we have no answer to that argument.

Forstchen adds that, in the context of international relations, countries like North Korea may view EMP attacks as a way to level the playing field against more powerful adversaries. A single EMP weapon could render a country like the United States vulnerable, without the need for a full-scale nuclear war. The lack of preparedness in nations, especially in the context of global security, is worrying. “It’s not nuclear war by calculation,” Forstchen states, “it’s nuclear war by miscalculation or madness.”

The Importance of Education and Public Awareness

Both experts agree that raising public awareness is critical to preventing an EMP catastrophe. Forstchen has written books, including a novel titled One Second After, which dramatizes the effects of an EMP on a small town in North Carolina. The book emphasizes the human toll and the societal collapse that would follow an EMP attack. In the conversation, he suggests that a similar shock value could be achieved by showing world leaders the potential effects of nuclear weapons, as a way of raising awareness and pushing for policy change.

It may be that various cultural products do more to alert people to these real threats than news about negotiations or the absence of negotiations, or the plans to build new weapons. The panelists recall a few movies that truly shook the audiences. The Day After was one movie with real impact. Metta Spencer recalls being terrified by Dr. Strangelove and thinks that may be the best film to show to take people up.

Hallam agrees that we need to keep doing what we are doing, including our efforts to create more widespread discussions about EMP, noting that while public consciousness of nuclear weapons has been significant, the threat of EMP has remained largely under the radar. However, he believes that bringing attention to the issue, both in political and civil society spheres, is crucial for securing a safer future.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Both experts stress the importance of investing in protective measures and raising awareness about the vulnerabilities in our infrastructure. While the risks of EMPs, whether man-made or natural, are grave, we still need to emphasize the urgency of developing preventive measures – though of course the only real solution is to disarm all nuclear weapons.

The conversation leaves us with the stark reality that modern society’s dependence on technology makes it totally vulnerable to such threats. However, as Hallam and Forstchen point out, the solutions are not beyond our reach—what is lacking is the political will and the public engagement necessary to make the changes that could prevent disaster.