The United States is facing a serious national security challenge that needs be
addressed immediately but hasn’t generated much concern from political leaders. This is
the conclusion of Michael Maloof in his new book, A Nation Forsaken. The challenge he
says we face is the potential impact of an electromagnetic pulse (known as an EMP).

His book describes various scenarios ranging from a nuclear explosion by a rogue
nation to a terrorist assault using less sophisticated weapons to a natural phenomenon.
Any one of these scenarios could push America or part of the country back to the 19th
century in an instant.

Movies and television programs often use EMP as a plot device. The resulting
impact reminds us how vulnerable our electronic grid is and how such a disruption could
ruin society and our way of life. But Michael Maloof goes on to explain that the potential
problems could be much worse than what we see in the media.

Once an EMP attack or natural occurrence fries our unprotected electronics, it
would begin to shut down other systems in a devastating cascade. The collapse of our
national grid would wreck telecommunications, transportation, banking, energy
production, food delivery, and emergency services. This could lead to a shutdown of
automated control systems that control large sections of American industry that monitor
utilities, telecommunications, and oil and gas pipelines.

He also documents the potential threat from a solar storm. NASA estimates that it
could result in large-scale blackouts affecting 130 million people at a cost upwards of $2
trillion.

Given the potential threat from natural or man-made EMP disruption, we should
demand that government agencies address the threat now while we have time to fix these
vulnerabilities. This natural security threat deserves as much attention as tracking down
terrorists who threaten our way of life. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.