InfraGard Launches EMP Special Interest Group
Washington, DC – (Sept 20, 2011)InfraGard announces the launch of a nationwide special interest group (SIG) that will focus on threats that could cause nationwide long-term critical infrastructure collapse. Named the EMP SIG, after electromagnetic pulse, the SIG will cover all similarly dangerous hazards such as extreme space weather, coordinated physical attack, cyber attack or pandemics. http://solarexercise.eventbrite.com.
- In June 2011, the National Foreign Trade Council was one of the first if not the first major trade association that has examined the class of high-impact low-frequency threats, such as the 100 year solar storm, that could create a nationwide simultaneous and long term collapse of critical infrastructure. Their examination resulted in using their official August/September 2011 newsletter "Council Highlights" (p.12) to ask their membership to do the same by getting involved in the events planned by the National Defense University (NDU), NORTHCOM, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and InfraGard this coming OC 4-6. All of these events are historic in that they are the first time that a comprehensive planning effort has focused on threats both nationwide and long term.
More information and registration links can be found at www.sustaining-people.com until formal invitations to the events from the sponsors become available.
- MTECH R&D Grant Award to IAN, LLC through FSU for renewable energy project, August 12, 2010.
- Blog by Matt Brunk, Telecomworx, June 13, 2010 on EMP safe data centers.
- Fox News coverage of HR 5026 and Nat Geo program on EMP.
- Heritage Foundation Science and Tech Forum Webinar on EMP, "Keeping a Finger on Electromagnetic Pulse", May 25, 2010.
- Manto slides for Heritage EMP webinar of May 25, 2010.
- Peter V. Pry, "What America Needs to Know about EMPs", Foreign Policy, March 17, 2010.
- MTECH U of MD R&D Grant Award to IAN, LLC 2008
- Congressman Bartlett's Press Release on EMP Economic Study 9/10/2007
- Congressman Bartlett, IAN, PTI, Sage Press Conference on EMP Economic Study 9/10/2007
- IAN pilot project with Frostburg State University and TEDCO by Cumberland Times-News 8/16/2007
- IAN pilot project "Electromagnetic Pulse Shield Studied" by Forbes.com 8/16/2007
For additional information on how to participate in IAN's pilot project to protect critical infrastructure from EMP, see www.safe9-1-1.com
One of the SIG’s first activities will be the co-sponsorship with the US Congressional EMP Caucus and the National Defense University of a nationwide conference, "Severe Space Weather Threats to the US Electrical Grids" planned for Oct 6, 2011 from 830 AM to 3 PM at the US Capitol Visitors Center Auditorium. This conference will provide initial reports on planning workshops and an exercise representing the first comprehensive efforts by federal, state, local government and the private sector to examine the potential for prolonged nationwide power outages and their cascading effects and begin mitigation efforts. The InfraGard National EMP SIG plans to assist in organizing private sector critical infrastructure stakeholders who wish to mitigate these threats and make their local communities more resilient.
To register for the OCT 6 conference, see