Trump Plans Executive Order to Study EMPs — Electromagnetic Pulses

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to study the risks of an electromagnetic pulse that could potentially disrupt or damage technology and critical U.S. infrastructure.

Some lawmakers and scientists have long worried that a rogue nation or terrorist group with the technological know-how might attack the U.S. electric grid with an EMP generated by a nuclear detonation miles above the Earth. It’s not clear why the White House considers the risk of an EMP urgent enough for Trump’s action.

Trump’s order is intended to increase public- and private-sector planning for an EMP, whether it’s produced by a bomb or a cosmic event, administration officials said in a conference call. The officials said the order was driven by concern about the general risks of an EMP, not a specific threat.