Reframing and Responding to Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Risk to Canada

Compared to the threat of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) weapons, electromagnetic pulses (EMP) receive little attention. There is very little scholarship or public-facing government communication regarding this grave threat. Occasional news articles discussing possible scenarios can be found, but little else is said of the matter in Canada. In order to reframe the severity of the EMP threat to Canada, the referential object of risk should be shifted to the individual, not infrastructure, and the focus should be shifted to long-term impacts, not immediate outcomes. A concept of operations and recovery programming cannot be left solely to the military or to the public service. Dialogue is required to determine capabilities and objectives proactively, instead of during the aftermath of an unparalleled catastrophe, when there may be no means to communicate.