Recent Venezuela Blackout Serves as a Warning for America

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

For Immediate Release

July 23, 2019

CONTACT:

Hamilton Strategies, [email protected], Patrick Benner, 610.584.1096, ext. 104, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102

Recent Venezuela Blackout Serves as a Warning for America

Socialist regime precipitated “Brain Drain” and blames blackout on a real threat America must defend against.

CARACAS — As news outlets around the world report on the latest failure of Venezuela’s electric infrastructure, it’s important that American readers recognize two threats to our Republic which are part of this international conversation:  socialism and electromagnetic spectrum threats.

The effects of the first of these threats – socialism – are readily apparent throughout Venezuela for the world to see: hyperinflation, massive unemployment, widespread corruption, infrastructure dilapidation, social unrest, and a general hopelessness among the Venezuelan people.   Americans must see the Socialist Catastrophe for what it is, and be reminded that for decades these ruinous policies in Venezuela led to its economic and humanitarian demise.

In keeping with the traditions of socialist leaders, Nicholas Maduro was quick to blame Capitalist nations such as the United States for the most recent failure of his electric infrastructure.  In this case, his government’s information minister, Jorge Rodriguez, stated in a televised interview that the electric grid suffered an “electromagnetic attack” at hydroelectric dams in southern Venezuela. This claim has been widely and correctly criticized in the media and among energy experts.

It is clear that the infrastructure failure was not one precipitated by a Source Region Electromagnetic Pulse (SREMP) or High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) as both of these forms of electromagnetic attack would have required an atomic detonation.  So, the Venezuelan government must be insinuating that an attacker used “IEMI” or “Intentional Electromagnetic Interference” to carry out the attack.  Such IEMI would have had to be generated by a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) against a localized part of the grid nearby the dams, which generate approximately 80% of the nation’s electricity.

Hydroelectric power is most resilient form of electric power generation and generation assets running on analog controls (which is most likely the case for the aged Venezuelan infrastructure) would also be relatively resilient to electromagnetic attack. However, once generated, the electricity itself must be transported from these dams over long distances to get to populated areas such as the nation’s capital.  This makes necessary the placement of substations with transformers which can step up the voltage for this long-distance transmission, and – of course – similar transformers which can step it down nearby and inside the cities where it is distributed.

A DEW attack on a substation could indeed cause an upset or even permanent physical damage to electronic infrastructure controlling the flow of electricity, depending on the strength and configuration of the weapon.  Such weapons include high powered microwaves and radio frequency weapons. While the United States possesses these weapons, and most of their detailed capabilities are rightly classified, it is highly unlikely that it would use them for such a purpose.  Nevertheless, Congressional testimony has revealed that either intentional or accidental EMI can have a devastating effect on critical infrastructure.  One example took place in 1999 when a U.S. Navy vessel’s AN/SPS 49 radar caused severe electromagnetic interference (EMI) to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems operating the San Diego County Water Authority and Gas and Electric Companies.

Since Venezuela’s socialist leaders have created catastrophic economic conditions for the nation’s citizens, most of the talented engineers and operators of the electric power industry have fled the country alongside the four million people who have departed in recent years. Socialist economic policies have also resulted in the physical degradation of electric power infrastructure and impatient socialist dictatorial leadership has likely resulted in the reckless operation of this infrastructure.  These backward policies and the associated “Brain Drain” are much more likely culprits than an IEMI attack.

Nevertheless,if a localized electromagnetic attack was conducted against a Venezuelan substation by military-grade or home-made weapon, it could be very hard for Venezuela to attribute the attack to a specific adversary.  This should serve as another lesson for the United States.

Foreign adversaries understand that America’s critical vulnerability is its reliance on electricity.  As revealed by the Congressional EMP Commission, Electromagnetic spectrum threats – such as HEMP and IEMI – are part of the threat doctrines of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.  The Commission, which existed from 2000 through 2017, has long advocated for the protection of America’s electric grid against electromagnetic spectrum threats.   Similarly, the United States Air Force’s “Electromagnetic Defense Task Force” published a report in October 2018 that reinforced the importance of the Congressional EMP Commission’s assessments and listed numerous recommendations to help immediately address the widening EMS threats to the United States and its allies.

The Trump Administration is the first to correctly recognize electromagnetic spectrum threats in both its National Security Strategy and the recently issued Executive Order 13865 – Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses.

Important questions remain, though, as to whether Americans will embrace President Trump’s repudiation of socialism and help his administration protect the nation against electromagnetic spectrum threats.  Failure to do so could result in the demise of our Republic.

For this reason, the Center for Security Policy – a non-profit national security organization in Washington D.C. – works diligently to expose the dangers of socialism and threats to the electric grid. As part of its advocacy for protecting America’s electric infrastructure, the Center sponsors the Secure the Grid Coalition.  This group of national security and technical experts raise awareness about all threatsto the grid, not just those in the electromagnetic spectrum.

The Secure the Grid Coalition’s honorary Co-Chairmen are Ambassador R. James Woolsey (former Director of Central Intelligence) and Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) and its operations are overseen by Tommy Waller, a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps.  More information about the Coalition can be found at:  www.SecureTheGrid.com

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To interview a member of the Secure the Grid Coalition, contact [email protected], Patrick Benner, 610.584.1096, ext. 104, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.