Friday, June 12, 2009

Electro-Magnetic Pulse: One Nuke To Take Out America

From Vlad Tepes:

Here is a rather well done but simple and understated short video on the consequences of a high altitude nuclear burst over the USA. Many pundits, very well versed ones in fact make the claim that Iran is working in three shifts to achieve exactly this with their nuclear weapons program. A sky burst for the EMP effect would be orders of magnitude more damaging than merely detonating a nuke on a city.

A Hiroshima sized nuclear weapon detonated on LAX airport Los Angeles would in fact destroy the airport but probably nothing outside the fence delimiting the property edge of the airport concession. Many wouldn’t know it went off in greater Los Angeles till they heard about it on the news.

If the same weapon where detonated in space at the right altitude, there would be no news. No TV etc.


17 comments:

Damien said...

Pastorius,

This is disturbing news.

Pastorius said...

YOu know, as many times as I hear about this, and read about it, from many different sources, it is almost impossible for me to believe it is true.

revereridesagain said...

Even Wikipedia has a good article on EMP, just search under Electromagnetic Pulse. It is also a naturally occurring event in case of an especially strong solar flare but so rare that the effects are seldom observed. We may get a free show of some effects in a few years if the sun goes from its current quiet period to one of greater solar flare activity. That's if Kim and the Poison Dwarf don't try it first. This is part of what makes me a bit wary of the NorK's current sabre-rattling. Even if they set one off there would still be nuclear submarines unaffected and able to blow them away.

We, on the other hand, would be royaly screw-ed.

Damien said...

Revereridesagain,

i think they talked about solar flares generating an EMP, and the damage it might cause, on The History Channel's "The Universe" a couple of times.

midnight rider said...

I'm tellin' ya, read One Second After. Short, quick, well written read about what life will be like after one of these.

Told from the viewpoint of a schmuck like us caught right in the middle of it.

Grim stuff indeed.

Anonymous said...

Consider that one blast could not possibly take out nuke subs in all directions. The favor will be returned above their skies - tout de suite, followed up with a generous dose of just desserts raining on their doorsteps from the heavens above.

midnight rider said...

I think I said this before -- at a very base level, you are all reading what I just wrote. Something like this goes off -- and the Russians most certainly have the technology as do the Chinese -- I will never ever knwo what happens to Pastorius, or Damien or Revere nor you what happens to me. Did we survive it? How are we making out? Never know any of it.

Also -- bit of a falacy in the film. AT the end you here "Sorry, your call can be completed as dialed".

Folks, after an emp you won't even get that.

midnight rider said...

Anon -- maybe. how will those subs get their orders? and how will they know who to attack?

If military comm is hardened enough against this, or if it is followed quickly by a couple nukes on the ground in right places those subs may never know.

Anonymous said...

If the subs don't know, neither will the source of the EMP attack know details of all the fallout.

Chaos & Confusion will be a global affair -immediately pissing off a huge part of the globe that relies on the US in one way or another.

No more billions in foreign aid (from any nation) to assist the poor - aka fund the jihad. Awwwww.

Every surviving nation will piss their liberal pants once the US is hit to that magnitude. Who will come to their rescue then?

Do you honestly fear there isn't a series of alternate 'if this /then that' plans for such details?

PITY THE FOOLS THAT DARE BELIEVE THEY WILL SURVIVE SUCH AN ATTACK AGAINST THE USA.

midnight rider said...

Anonymous -- were it jihadis that hit us, or Iranians, I'd agree with that. But it's much more likely to be the Russians or Chinese or most likely one of them working in concert with the jihad.

Do I fear it? Sure, absolutely. People like Gingrich have been screaming about this for years and getting no visible traction on it. Should I assume we have something in place to counter such an event? assume something as dire as that?

No way.

Pastorius said...

I think Anonymous is right. The subs would figure out what happened, and they would retaliate.

Anonymous said...

Chinese? They already own us financially. A Chinese EMP strike on the USA serves them how? Will it bequeath them Mexico, Central America and Canada's continued trade cooperation? Europe's?
Who needs Chinese goods so much that they would tolerate an EMP attack on the USA?

Again, far too many countries rely on the USA in one way or another.

It will get very ugly for China - on EVERY front - if this should occur.

Russia. Again, the Chinese have a vested interest in America's viable existence at this point.

Can Russia risk upsetting the economic gains China has made through trade with America and American interests in the last few decades?

Then recall the imbalance between male - female ratio in China due to their decades long one child rule and penchant for male children.

Also consider that Russian men succumb to disease, alcholism at a much younger age than men in the east. That means there is an abundance of Russian females to satisfy the China-mans lonely heart.
Then also consider if the Chinese cannot afford to purchase their energy needs since their income has been severely impacted by a Russian emp attack on the US, Russia is their geographic neighbor with energy sources closeby. The Chinese will likely seize what they need.

Europe relies on energy coming from Russia. Who will safeguard Europe's energy source from the Chinese? The UN? Ha ha ha.

The ME depends so heavily on Western jizya and technical expertise - without it where do you think they will be in short order?

A catestrophic EMP attack on the US will result in absolute global chaos.

midnight rider said...

Pasto -- "I think Anonymous is right. The subs would figure out what happened, and they would retaliate." Sub commanders do not have the authority to launch a strike on their own.

Anon. -- "A catestrophic EMP attack on the US will result in absolute global chaos."

Agreed.

Laugh if you want. You are putting far too much faith in these & future idiots acting rationally.

Pastorius said...

Remember, for all they know, their wives and kids are back home, dead.

Pastorius said...

MR,
Go check out the new babe of the week. That's the really important stuff.

revereridesagain said...

I see the Dwarf is still in office, god knoweth how, and the NorKs are waving plutonium at us. SSDD. To hell with it, I'm going to the beach.

After which I might start thinking about how to get me an Edsel...

Pastorius said...

Any old Ford or Chevy will do, RRA.

Why don't you get a Nova?

;-)