2019 Report Electromagnetic Defense Task Force (EDTF) 2.0 - EMP Threats, Enemy Microwaves or Lasers, Geomagnetic Disturbance (GMD), Quantum and 5G Technologies, Nuclear Power Plant Vulnerabilities

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The second report of the military Electromagnetic Defense Task Force (EDTF) was issued in August 2019. The Task Force has provided great leadership and utility to the defense ecosystem by linking diverse experts and professionals together to make candid holistic assessments of threats emerging from within the electromagnetic spectrum. By forming a coalition of professionals without silos, the EDTF has discovered fresh insights that deserve deep consideration and perhaps bold action. In 2019, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS) met with EDTF leaders and noted the value of the task force to the international discourse on the EMS. Furthermore, the VCJCS evaluated and concurred with a war-gaming scenario for use as a backdrop to answering four questions during the second summit: 1. Based on the [EMS] scenario, assess post-event Joint Force (military) capabilities: what assets/functions remain viable? 2. Based on what remains viable (preserved): what Joint Force strategies/regeneration options can be realistically put forward to national leaders for recovery and/or military response? 3. What are our strategic blind spots in regard to each track in a severe EMS-degraded environment, and how should we place near-term bets to counter/frustrate enemy efforts? 4. What happens when we lose position, navigation, and timing (PNT)?

Executive Summary * Introduction * Joint Chiefs of Staff Questions with Task Force Findings * QUESTION 1: What are our strategic blind spots in regard to each track in a severe EMS-degraded environment, and how should we place near-term bets to counter/frustrate enemy efforts? * QUESTION 2: How can industry, academia, and military work together to counter our strategic blinds spots and improve the nation's resilience? * QUESTION 3: Are quantum and 5G communications resilient to threats within the EMS? * QUESTION 4: What sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective approaches do we need to invest in/develop right now to keep Joint Force capability operational (viable) in a severe EMS-degraded environment? * Conclusion * Selected Resources * Appendix 1: Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Impacts on Nuclear Power Plants and the Role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) * Appendix 1.1: NRC Staff Comments on EDTF 2.0 Report * Appendix 2: Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team (ECCT) * Appendix 3: A "Typical State's" Perspective on EMP and EMS Threats to the Electric Grid * Appendix 4: Recommendations Checklist * Appendix 5: EDTF 2.0 Executive Outbrief Slides * Appendix 6: List of Attendees and Contacts * Appendix 7: EMS Resilience and Preparedness for Government and Society * Abbreviations

While there is little consensus on when or where an EMS degradation might occur, or even the extent of damage that may occur, there is consensus on the technical and scientific feasibility (whether natural or man-made) of the threats and risks. Natural EMS events may be produced by a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field (in what is known as a geomagnetic disturbance [GMD]) or by intentional acts generating electromagnetic pulse (EMP), laser energy, microwaves, or even use of 5G systems to access and/or disrupt information networks. The potentially catastrophic effects of these types of natural or man-made EMS events are not science fiction but science fact and have been well studied and documented for nearly six decades.

This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.