WEBINAR: Veterans in The Fight – Protecting Our Nation’s Power Supply After the Collapse of the Texas Electric Grid

The February 2021 collapse of the Texas electric grid has caused the deaths of more than fifty Americans and economic losses in excess of $100 billion.  Sadly, it was a preventable disaster and one that should serve as a major “wake up call” for the rest of the nation.

Fortunately, there is a coalition of national security experts, including some military veterans, who are working hard to prevent such a catastrophe in the future.  During this webinar, the Center’s Tommy Waller, a U.S. Marine combat veteran, moderates an incredibly informative discussion with two other veterans, and members of this Secure the Grid Coalition: Ambassador Henry “Hank Cooper” and Command Sergeant Major Michael Mabee:

Ambassador Henry F. (Hank) Cooper is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, served as President Ronald Reagan’s Chief Negotiator at the Geneva Defense and Space Talks with the Soviet Union and Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) Director during the George H.W. Bush administration. He is among the nation’s foremost experts on strategic and space-related national security issues, including the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP), and has pioneered a pilot project to protect critical local infrastructures from this and other threats.

Michael Mabee is a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major with years of experience working to expose and rectify grid vulnerabilities, having recently moved to Texas. He is the author of The Civil Defense Book and maintains the world’s most comprehensive grid security research database.

During the webinar, Ambassador Cooper discussed the centrality of our electric grid to national security and a short history of how protecting it became a major focus of his professional life.  Michael Mabee, who recently relocated to Texas, described what it was like for Texans weathering this blackout and how it wasn’t the first to strike the state of Texas.

Both guests described the challenges associated with getting government and industry to commit to protecting the grid from all hazards, including the most catastrophic threat – electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

The webinar also provided the audience a series of action steps that they can take to get involved in the fight to Secure the Grid by petitioning key leaders in their state.  These steps can be found at: https://securethegrid.com/action/