Mr. Charles (Chuck) Manto, InfraGard National EMP SIG Chairman, provides a brief overview of the 2014 EMP SIG Dupont Summit, the purpose of the InfraGard National EMP SIG and introduces Dr. Wallace Boston.

Session Chair: Dr. Wallace E. Boston, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Public University System, comments on the background of Senator Ron Johnson and introduces the senator.

Remarks: "A US Senator's Perspective on the Importance of EMP and High-Impact Threat Planning and Protection". Senator Ron Johnson provides remarks comparing the nature of severe economic threats over the next thirty years and the high-impact of EMP that could happen at any time.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Subsequently named Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 

  

  

 

  

  

 

This panel examines reasons why discussions and planning for major disasters are difficult and often avoided. Examples are given including planning accomplished in Howard County, MD for the possible event of a small ground-burst nuclear weapon near the White House and how the public should be encouraged to shelter in place for 24-48 hours rather than try to evacuate through fall-out clouds. Research was shown that depict best practice and that responsible dissemination of this information and this type of information does not result in panic.

Dr. Richard M. Krieg – Krieg Group

Dr. Ben Sheppard -- George Washington University
Ms. Jessica Wieder – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (absent due to illness)

 

  

 

This panel reviews and compares the activities and legislation passed in the state of Maine and Virginia in light of slow progress at the federal level. Encouragement of volunteer activities among utilities was discussed through implementation of the EIS “E-Pro Handbook.

 

Honorable Roscoe Bartlett, former US Congressman

Dr. Chris Beck, Vice President, Electric Infrastructure Security Council
Senator Bryce Reeves, Virginia Commonwealth Senate
Honorable Andrea Boland, Outgoing Maine State Representative

 

  

 

  

 

Mr. Bob Rutledge reviews the latest findings from review of space weather data including the near miss of the super solar storm of 2012 and plans of the federal government in response. Mr. Nordling covers private sector investment response for critical infrastructure mitigation of space weather threats to electric power infrastructure and latest test results of the solutions offered by his company and used by a utility in the Midwest.

 

Mr. Robert Rutledge, Lead of NOAA Space Weather Forecast Office
Mr. Gale Nordling, CEO, Emprimus

 

  

 

Mr. Curtis Birnbach, President, Advanced Fusion Systems discusses his company’s approach to grid protection against manmade EMP and GMD from space weather that includes use of large scale vacuum tube technology and facilities to conduct EMP testing and simulation. He also expresses his concerns about MIL SPECs for EMP that are later addressed by Dr. George Baker at 4:15.

 

  

 

This panel covers the work within the US Department of Homeland Security to create EMP protection measures for emergency communications systems. Mr. Caruso explained work of the private sector to provide mitigation solutions. Mr. Bron Cikotas, active leader in EMP issues in both DoD and DHS for over 4 decades, was not able to attend due to serious illness. He subsequently passed from his illness and will be missed by many.

 

Mr. Kevin Briggs, DHS Team Chief NCCIC
Dr George Baker, Professor Emeritus, James Madison University
Mr. Bronius Cikotas, Former Division Chief, Defense Nuclear Agency
Mr. Michael Caruso, ETS-Lindgren, Director, Government & Specialty Business Development

 

  

 

Congressman Bartlett provides personal recollection of meeting in Europe during the Clinton administration with Russians discussing the Boznian intervention where a Russian delegate makes a soft but somewhat direct threat about the use of EMP against the U.S.

Mr. George Anderson discusses the value in having a minimal level of protection across all high-impact threat areas so that a problem in one area is not overwhelmingly exploited by an unprotected vulnerability in another area.

  

  

 

This key note presentation describes prudent and cost effective mitigation measures that the private sector could take using general examples of early adoption of some of these measures prior to establishment of formal regulations and standards.

 

Dr. Paul Stockton, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense

 

  

 

This panel reviews the planning and training of federal, state and local government entities for high-impact disasters, particularly how planning has not been done for high-impact events for civilian critical infrastructure.

 

Dr. Paul Stockton, Panel Moderator, former Assistant Sec. of Defense
Dr. Richard Andres, Professor, National War College
Mr. Thomas MacLellan, National Governors Association
MG (ret’d) Robert Newman, US AirForce retired and former Adjutant General of Virginia
Ms Cynthia Ayers, Former NSA Visiting Professor to the US Army War College (2003-2011)
Mr. David Hunt, Workshop and Exercise Lead Facilitator

 

  

 

This panel compares the work underway in the US DoD, the private sector and efforts in third world countries for hospital operation without the benefit of power grids. Dr. Terbush who previously worked in this area for the US Northern Command leads the session. Sierra Bainbridge discussed the role of off-grid hospitals in Rwanda. Captain Art Glynn discusses the DoD SPIDERS microgrid program and Dr. Donat discusses local emergency communications in the Chicago area.

 

Dr. James Terbush, Martin Blanck and Associates, Public Health, Colorado Springs
Dr. Terry Donat, Independent Biosecurity Consultant an IEMA RACES Officer, Chicago
Dr. Donald Donahue, Consultant to American Academy of Disaster Medicine, Wash DC
Ms. Sierra Bainbridge, MASS Design Group, Boston (Off-grid hospitals in Rwanda and Haiti)
Mr. Art Glynn, CAPT USN Navy Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer, USNORTHCOM

 

  

 

This presentation provides an overview of the growing interdependence of both gas and electric supplies providing a backdrop of information on growing vulnerabilities.

 

Commissioner Philip D. Moeller, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 

  

 

This panel covers the efforts at the state level given slowness of federal level regulation and guidance to meet higher-impact threats.

 

Mr. Bill Harris, International Lawyer and Secretary, Foundation for Resilient Societies
Mr. Tom Popik, Chairman, Foundation for Resilient Societies
Honorable Ms. Andrea Boland, former Maine State Representative
Ambassador Hank Cooper, Chairman, High Frontier

 

  

 

This presentation presents material that explains the role of MIL SPEC 188.125 and related testing of the US DoD establishing its usage to protect defense department infrastructure, especially communications. This counters a challenge to the standard brought earlier in the day by speaker Curtis Birnbach. Dr. Baker led technical oversight of EMP programs for the Defense Nuclear Agency and participated in the development of the standard.

 

Dr. George Baker, Professor Emeritus, James Madison University

 

  

 

This session provides brief overviews from organizations working in related fields providing solutions to high-impact events.

 

Advanced Fusion
Avaya
Cyber Innovation Labs
Distributed Sun
Emprimus
ETS-Lindgren
JCTF
MASS
UET
US DHS

 

  

 

This segment provided an overview of next steps with emerging regional EMP SIGs and the workshops and table top exercises expected over the next year. It also provided a reminder of the EMP SIG meeting in April at the Space Weather Workshop (April 15) in Boulder, CO. Comments were also provided by Mr. Arnold Kishi describing emergency management efforts in Hawaii, Ambassador Henry Cooper describing vulnerabilities of spent fuel cooling ponds at nuclear power plants, Mr. Manto discussing role of VOAD and faith based organizations in disaster planning and constitutional issues regarding metadata security requirements and privacy issues, Bill Harris commenting on constitutional and regulatory issues, the delegation from Charlotte, NC providing input via webcast, Andrea Boland discussing state level activities around the country… and others. Mention was also made of conference publications available in print and Kindle editions through Westphalia Press and Amazon.

 

Mr. Chuck Manto
Mr. Arnold Kishi (HY IMA Chair)
Ambassador Henry Cooper
Mr. Bill Harris
Ms. Andrea Boland