High Impact Threats to Critical Infrastructure

The EMP SIG addresses any high-impact threat that could cause long-term nationwide collapse of critical infrastructure. These threats include EMP, extreme space weather, cyber attacks, coordinated physical attacks or widespread pandemics. The EMP SIG provides trusted communications and information for InfraGard members active in any critical infrastructure in any community to enhance planning, mitigation, and sustainable infrastructure. The EMP SIG attracts leading subject matter experts who have agreed to join advisory panels and make themselves available for local InfraGard chapters that may need their special guidance. The ultimate goal of the national EMP SIG is to assist local communities to enhance their own sustainability with a special emphasis on developing local infrastructure capacity from areas as diverse as local power generation and storage to local food production. InfraGard's EMP SIG plans to continue its role in fostering public/private cooperation in a comprehensive "all-of-nation" approach to disaster mitigation and planning. InfraGard members may join the EMP SIG on the InfraGard secure website. To join InfraGard and have access to the secure site, apply on the homepage of www.InfraGard.org. The first time that a broad range of military and civilian government agencies and their private sector counterparts led contingency plans for nationwide collapse of critical infrastructure that could last for more than a month was in October 2011 when the National Defense University, the US Congressional EMP Caucus, InfraGard National's EMP SIG and Maryland's Emergency Management Agency co-hosted a series of workshops and exercises covering these scenarios focusing on geomagnetic disturbances. In the following December, eight of those participants provided an overview of the results and ramifications of those meetings at the Dupont Summit 2011 hosted by the Policy Studies Organization. One year later, the Dupont Summit 2012 hosted sessions by InfraGard National's EMP SIG that updated activities from the prior year ranging from FERC's notice of a proposed rule making on GMD protection to the new FBI i-Guardian cyber protection program. These conference proceedings include links to updated on-line exhibits and uploaded videos provide presentations by technology and policy leaders on the most serious threats to technology-based society most likely to be experienced in our life times. For upcoming events and more information see the EMP SIG section of the National InfraGard secure website or contact the EMP SIG Chair, Chuck Manto, at cmanto@stop-EMP.com.