In November 2011 the U.S. Air Force announced the successful test (on 17 May) of a new cruise missile, CHAMP (Counter-Electronics High Microwave Power). CHAMP may have been the first missile designed specifically to carry what is more usually called an HPM (high-power microwave) device, the non-nuclear (and short-range) equivalent of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) created by a high-altitude nuclear burst. It is widely supposed that such pulses are particularly dangerous to modern industrial societies because they can wipe out microelectronic devices, not merely computers and cell phones but also the computers that control most critical infrastructure. In this sense the EMP threat is not altogether different from various cyber-threats, the latter most recently demonstrated in the November 2011 attacks on municipal water systems in Texas and Illinois.

This content is only accessible by current members. Please login to view the full content.

Not a Member yet? Learn more about the exclusive benefits you'll receive!

Join Today

You may log in with either your assigned username or your e-mail address.
The password field is case sensitive.