Electromagnetic Protection for Defense and Critical Infrastructure Facilities

Modern wireless and electromagnetic technologies continue to advance at a rapid and sustained pace. While the pace of technology advancement has been rapid, security against threats that exploit wireless devices and networks has not kept up. Data, operational information, intelligence, and intellectual property are under constant attack. Threats are increasing in both magnitude and consequence, and in parallel with a rising reliance on wirelessly connected digital devices for communication and operations. This is occurring when secure federal work infrastructures (including SCIFs) are greatly in need of modernization and upgrades to shield against modern electromagnetic threats, including Directed energy and EMP threats. Recent guidance from multiple agencies has indicated the need for increased / enhanced electromagnetic protection postures. The need for protected work environments goes beyond the needs of secure federal government environments and extends to critical infrastructure sectors.

Fundamentally, the need for electromagnetically secure environments has accelerated greatly. The Electromagnetic Security Consortium (ESC) is an industry led and member owned consortium that collaborates with federal agencies, national labs, academia, and industry to accelerate and facilitate Electromagnetic Protection (EP) solutions for US Federal and Industrial Base Critical Infrastructure. Working Groups are aligned to support US federal and Critical Infrastructure requirements, including Policy, Standards and Best Practices, Emerging Treats and Vulnerabilities, Critical Infrastructure, and Test and Certification. This brief will provide overviews of progress toward EP against DE and EMP threats, including newer, high performance electromagnetic shielding technologies for facility shielding.