Threat Posed by Electromagnetic Pulse (Emp) Attack
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i [H.A.S.C. No. 110–156] THREAT POSED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) ATTACK COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION HEARING HELD JULY 10, 2008 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 45–133 WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS IKE SKELTON, Missouri, Chairman JOHN SPRATT, South Carolina DUNCAN HUNTER, California SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas JIM SAXTON, New Jersey GENE TAYLOR, Mississippi JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii TERRY EVERETT, Alabama SILVESTRE REYES, Texas ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland VIC SNYDER, Arkansas HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ MCKEON, California ADAM SMITH, Washington MAC THORNBERRY, Texas LORETTA SANCHEZ, California WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina MIKE MCINTYRE, North Carolina ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, California W. TODD AKIN, Missouri ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia ROBERT ANDREWS, New Jersey JEFF MILLER, Florida SUSAN A. DAVIS, California JOE WILSON, South Carolina RICK LARSEN, Washington FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey JIM COOPER, Tennessee TOM COLE, Oklahoma JIM MARSHALL, Georgia ROB BISHOP, Utah MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam MICHAEL TURNER, Ohio MARK E. UDALL, Colorado JOHN KLINE, Minnesota DAN BOREN, Oklahoma PHIL GINGREY, Georgia BRAD ELLSWORTH, Indiana MIKE ROGERS, Alabama NANCY BOYDA, Kansas TRENT FRANKS, Arizona PATRICK J. MURPHY, Pennsylvania BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania HANK JOHNSON, Georgia THELMA DRAKE, Virginia CAROL SHEA-PORTER, New Hampshire CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, Washington JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas DAVID LOEBSACK, Iowa GEOFF DAVIS, Kentucky KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado JOE SESTAK, Pennsylvania ROB WITTMAN, Virginia GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland KENDRICK B. MEEK, Florida KATHY CASTOR, Florida ERIN C. CONATON, Staff Director RUDY BARNES, Professional Staff Member KARI BINGEN, Professional Staff Member CATERINA DUTTO, Staff Assistant (II) C O N T E N T S CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF HEARINGS 2008 Page HEARING: Thursday, July 10, 2008, Threat Posed by Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) At- tack ........................................................................................................................ 1 APPENDIX: Thursday, July 10, 2008 .......................................................................................... 31 THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2008 THREAT POSED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) ATTACK STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Hunter, Hon. Duncan, a Representative from California, Ranking Member, Committee on Armed Services ............................................................................ 2 Skelton, Hon. Ike, a Representative from Missouri, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services ................................................................................................ 1 WITNESSES Graham, Dr. William R., Chair, Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack ................................ 2 APPENDIX PREPARED STATEMENTS: Graham, Dr. William R. ................................................................................... 35 DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD: [There were no Documents submitted.] WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING THE HEARING: [There were no Questions submitted during the hearing.] QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING: [There were no Questions submitted post hearing.] (III) THREAT POSED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) ATTACK HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, DC, Thursday, July 10, 2008. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ike Skelton (chairman of the committee) presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. IKE SKELTON, A REPRESENTA- TIVE FROM MISSOURI, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES The CHAIRMAN. Good morning. Our committee meets today to re- ceive testimony on the threat of an electromagnetic pulse, EMP, at- tack. I want to welcome our distinguished witness, Dr. William Gra- ham—Dr. Graham, if you would assume the witness chair, we would appreciate it—the chairman of this commission that has been assessing this threat. We look forward to your testimony. The potential damage that could be caused by an EMP attack on our country is significant, and our committee has long treated this matter seriously. It was this committee that pushed for the author- ization of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack as part of the National Defense Author- ization Act for 2001. And the committee was pivotal in the re-es- tablishment of the commission in the National Defense Authoriza- tion Act for Fiscal Year 2006. My colleague, Mr. Bartlett, ranking member of the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee, deserves special credit for his dogged and determined attention to this issue. Our committee held a hearing on this issue in July of 2004, fol- lowing the release of the commission’s executive report, with the commission expected to submit a final report on November the 30th of this year. We thought it was timely to go ahead and have a hearing at this time. I want the record to note that we invited the Department of De- fense (DOD) to testify today. That offer was declined. The Depart- ment indicated that an assessment of the EMP threat will be pro- vided to the commission by the Department of Defense later this month. And the Department of Defense prefers to discuss the threat following the release of that threat assessment. I am dis- appointed we couldn’t have them here today, but I understand their reservations. Our committee will work to arrange a forum for the Department of Defense to present its views. (1) 2 With that, I am certainly interested to hear your testimony, Dr. Graham. And before we begin, Mr. Hunter, ranking member of California. STATEMENT OF HON. DUNCAN HUNTER, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA, RANKING MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES Mr. HUNTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thanks for having this hearing. And I want to commend, also, Roscoe Bartlett for being the fa- ther of EMP on this committee and focusing us on this committee. And I think the statement that the committee heard from the EMP Commission some four years ago in its first report was descriptive of the difficulty and the challenge that EMP poses. And the report concluded that, and I quote, ‘‘EMP is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic con- sequences’’—obviously, the ability to impose a great deal of paral- ysis, both in the economic and security sectors. So, Mr. Chairman, like you, I am very interested in hearing from the panel. And I want to congratulate Roscoe Bartlett for his enor- mous dedication to this very important issue. And I look forward to the panel’s testimony and our questions after. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Hunter. We will proceed, Dr. Graham. And we, again, appreciate your hard work on this commission, and we look forward to your testi- mony today. It has been suggested—Dr. Graham, excuse me just a minute— that, as Duncan mentioned, the father of this commission and this issue have a word. Roscoe Bartlett. Mr. BARTLETT. Oh, thank you very much. I will take just a mo- ment, because I have a series of questions which I hope will put on the record the real threat that we face here. Electromagnetic pulse is kind of a spooky kind of thing. And, ob- viously, there is not very much interest in it, that the seats are largely vacant here, and there are a number of seats down there vacant. The level of interest does not reflect, in any way, the seri- ousness of this threat, and I hope that that will be apparent by the time this hearing is over. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. With that, Dr. Graham, please proceed. STATEMENT OF DR. WILLIAM R. GRAHAM, CHAIR, COMMIS- SION TO ASSESS THE THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES FROM ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) ATTACK Dr. GRAHAM. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on behalf of the Commis- sion to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electro- magnetic Pulse Attack, a commission established through the ini- tiative of this committee and strongly supported by your members. In accord with the commission’s mandate, we are nine members, seven of whom were appointed by the Secretary of Defense and two of whom were appointed by the director of the Federal Emergency 3 Management Agency. In selecting individuals for appointment to the commission, the appointing officials were directed to consult with the chairman and ranking minority members of the Commit- tees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representa- tives. So we have your personal scrutiny, as well. Let me introduce the other members of the commission, who are here today. The CHAIRMAN. Can you get a little bit closer to the microphone, please? Dr. GRAHAM. Sure. The CHAIRMAN. That would help. Dr. GRAHAM. There. The CHAIRMAN. Thanks, Doctor. Dr. GRAHAM. Let me introduce the other members of the commis- sion who are here today. On my left, starting with General Richard Lawson, a four-star general, retired, from the United States Air Force. Next to him is Dr. Gordon Soper, a former member of the De-