Damning report says US Department of Defence has fallen behind
It says the technology will become as revolutionary as smartphones
John McAfee recently said weapons could wipe out 90% of Americans
America is falling behind in the development of critical electromagnetic weapons some say could wipe out 90 percent of its population, a new report has claimed.
The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the technology is 'one of the most critical operational domains in modern warfare.'
However, it concludes 'unfortunately, 'failed to keep pace' is an appropriate description of the Department of Defense's (DoD) investments in EMS warfare capabilities over the last generation.'
'In the same way that smartphones and the Internet are redefining how the world shares, shops, learns, and works, the development and fielding of advanced sensors and networking technologies will enable militaries to gain significant new advantages over competitors that fail to keep pace,' it says.
It comes after controversial tech boss and presidential candidate John McAfee recently warned a 'doomsday' electronic weapon could wipe out 90 per cent of Americans and urged politicians to is the number one threat facing the country.
McAfee, who recently announced he is running in 2016, wrote in a blog for International Business Times: 'Experts agree that an all out cyber attack, beginning with an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack on our electronic infrastructure, would wipe out 90% of the human population of this country within two years of the attack.
'That means the death of 270 million people within 24 months after the attack.'
The CSBA report says the Us has now lost its lead in the area.
'In the absence of a peer rival following the end of the Cold War, DoD failed to pursue a new generation of capabilities that are needed to maintain its EMS operational superiority.
'As a result, America's once significant military advantage in the EMS domain is eroding, and may in fact no longer exist.'
However, the report says the Us does have a chance to get back in front.
'This does not have to remain the case.
'DoD now has the opportunity to develop new operational concepts and technologies that will allow it to 'leap ahead' of its competitors and create enduring advantages in EMS warfare.
It lays out several scenarios to develop drones and other devices to help combat EMS weapons.
'The U.S. military could shift toward using unmanned vehicles or expendable payloads that emit low-power jamming noise in the radio frequency spectrum … or dazzling electro-optical / infrared sensors or narrowly focused radar beams to establish accurate targeting information for attacks,' the authors write.
They also say decoys could provoke the enemy to activate his fire-control radar and thereby reveal its position.
'In conclusion, the U.S. military gained significant advantages over its enemies in two previous shifts in the EMS competition: with radar and active countermeasures during World War II and with stealth technologies in the final years of the Cold War,' the report says.
'Our Nation's warfighters have another such opportunity today.
'By adopting a new approach to EMS warfare and developing low-to-no power operational concepts and capabilities, the U.S. military could once again gain a significant edge over its future opponents.
'A failure to do so, however, could put America at risk of losing the battle for the airwaves.'
From Ocean's Eleven to Star Trek, weapons that wipe out enemy electronics are a staple of science fiction films.
For years, scientists have been attempting to create such a weapon as part of Champ, or the Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project.
Now, the US Air Force claims it has advanced the technology, and says it can deploy it using the stealthy Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM).
There are fears a well targeted attack could knock out multiple power stations.
'This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare,' said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works.
'In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy's electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.'
John McAfee says this is a huge issue being ignored.
He hit out at President Obama's focus on gun control.
On 2 October, President Obama declared: 'Here's what you need to do: You have to make sure that anybody that you are voting for is on the right side of this issue.'
If politicians oppose these measures, he continued, 'even if they're great on other stuff, you've got to vote against them.'
McAfee said he was initially confused by the statement.
'Frantically searching again for my benzodiazepines, and certain that rabid squirrels would imminently emerge from my wristwatch and form a tribunal accusing me of crimes against humanity, a saving thought flashed into my mind: What if the president is right? Could this simplification be the salvation of this long-suffering nation?'
'But if it is then surely weighing the possible deaths of 90% of our citizens due to cyber warfare against gun violence which causes fewer deaths per year than traffic accidents, seems that possibly our president is suffering an acid flashback rather than myself.'
According to Foxtrot Alpha, the weapons are alsmost ready for use.
Once integrated into JASSM, Champ will be a 'first day of war' standoff weapon it claims.
Because it can be launched by both bombers and fighters, Lockheed's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, is an ideal platform for Champ.
'The capability is real … and the technology can be available today,' said Major General Thomas Masiello, the Air Force Research Laboratory.
'That's an operational system already in our tactical air force'
In 2012, aircraft manufacturer Boeing successfully tested the weapon on a one-hour flight during which it knocked out the computers of an entire military compound.
During Boeing's experiment, the missile flew low over the Utah Test and Training Range, discharging electromagnetic pulses on to seven targets, permanently shutting down their electronics.
Boeing said that the test was so successful even the camera recording it was disabled.
Although the project is shrouded in secrecy, experts believe the missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon.
This uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy which causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react.
Boeing's CHAMP takes out enemy electronics with pulse
The missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon. This uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy. The energy causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react
Keith Coleman, Champ programme manager for Boeing's prototype arm Phantom Works, claims the technology marked 'a new era in modern warfare'.
'In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy's electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive,' he said during the initial test.
However, experts fear that the project could create an arms race, with countries scrambling to build their own electromagnetic pulse weapons.
Professor Trevor Taylor, Professorial Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, has previously said the Western world would be more vulnerable attack because of its increased reliance on electronics.
'Should the US be known to have developed such a technology to the production stage, it would drive others to try to act similarly,' he said.
0 Comments