This Threat From China Could Kill Tens of Thousands of Americans

China's military shows off its latest missiles during a parade in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2009. Representatives of the People's Liberation Army Second Artillery Force, which operates China's strategic nuclear weapons, attended the training on the electromagnetic spectrum held in Chengdu, China, on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, 2013. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Commentary

Electromagnetic pulses (EMP) are short, powerful bursts of electromagnetic energy. They have the potential to destroy a country’s power grid, a fact that isn’t lost on the Japanese government. By the decade’s end, the Japanese intend to have effective countermeasures against EMPs in place.