The White House has released the “Executive Order on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses,” tasking numerous departments and agencies within the federal government with responsibilities concerning electromagnetic pulse (EMP) preparedness and response. For the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), within 90 days of the executive order it must “identify and list the national critical functions and associated priority critical infrastructure systems, networks, and assets, including space-based assets that, if disrupted, could reasonably result in catastrophic national or regional effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security.” Within six months, DHS “shall review test data — identifying any gaps in such data — regarding the effects of EMPs on critical infrastructure systems, networks, and assets.” Six months after that, DHS is expected “to develop an integrated cross-sector plan to address the identified gaps” in coordination with other agencies. EMPs can result from both natural and man-made events. Depending on their severity, they can destroy electric wiring and circuity and have a devastating impact on critical infrastructure. For its March 7 Security and Resilience Update, WaterISAC discussed the key findings from an article written by a national security expert on the anticipated effects of an EMP triggered by the detonation of a nuclear device. Read the executive order at the White House.