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From: rxtgep@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU (Glen Pill)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Question on magnetic pulse.
Message-ID: <1991Jan18.002331.6850@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 18 Jan 91 00:23:31 GMT
References: <1991Jan16.012543.8861@cbnews.att.com>
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From: rxtgep@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU (Glen Pill)

>From article <1991Jan16.012543.8861@cbnews.att.com>, by reed@cs.washington.edu (Renee Reed):
> 
> 	Please excuse my ignorance.  I was attached to medical. (USAF)
> 		
> 	
> 	I would like to ask what will happen to the electrical, ie. computer
> 	controlled communication systems in the event that some nation
> 	does detonate a nuclear device?   I remember some time ago,
> 	hearing that all one had to do to put the military, industry,
> 	business, and government out of commission, was detonate a
> 	nuclear bomb over the atmosphere and that the resulting electrical
> 	magnetic pulse would destroy all the computer communications.

That used to be the case.  Apparently a lot of research has been conducted on
this subject (for obvious reasons) and all military equipment is now screened
against EMP effects.  Civilian equipment will most likely be the only equipment
to suffer from EMP effects.  Also, from one book I was reading on the subject,
the author said that electronic equipment using valves was less prone to
failure from EMP, which the USSR was researching into.

--
Glen Pill                              ACSNet: rxtgep@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
RMIT Computer Centre                   Snail : 124 LaTrobe St, Melb. Oz. 3000.
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