Empact Radio

Thank you to our listeners for being with us for our 100th episode!   This week, we have two guests: Mr. Chuck Manto, of Instant Access Networks, and B.G. Kenneth Chrosnaik (retired), of the U.S. Army War College.   Charles L. Manto is CEO of Instant Access Networks, where he developed a critical infrastructure EMP rating system, EMP-protected rooms to protect critical infrastructure such as communications and power systems, and won R&D grants for the development of EMP-safe microgrids and renewable energy. He led operations for a broadband CLEC, a computer industry start-up and was the lead consultant for broadband deployment strategies for 12 Maryland counties. He won five patents and has others pending. Chuck will be joining us to talk about the EMP Special Interest Group (SIG) that he coordinates for Infragard.   Brigadier General Kenneth Chrosniak (retired), is a professor at the U.S. Army War College, and was a primary organizer of the “First Responder Community Planning for a Catastrophic Electric Grid Failure Event” table-top exercise held in October, 2010. Ken will be coming on the show to talk about current events and the projects he’s working on in conjunction with EMPact America.

  William B. Anderson is the Director and Chief Operating Officer of The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP).   Bill Anderson has directed The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) for two years. Under his leadership of TISP, the organization has grown revitalized its membership through the establishment of a Board of Directors, an Operational Charter, and its first five-year strategic plan.  TISP is leading collaboration efforts to build an infrastructure resilience guide, revising the 2006 edition of the Regional Disaster Resilience Guide, and working with partners to improve infrastructure design and construction criteria to reflect resilience concepts.    Anderson comes to TISP from the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), where he served as Director of Transportation Operations and Program Assessment since 2004. In that role, he served as ITS America's technical lead in such areas as development, operations, maintenance, evaluation and assessment for urban, rural, regional and state intelligent transportation systems. Additionally, he directed program development and project management for numerous forums including the Homeland Security and Public Safety Forum, and managed various tasks in cooperation with the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation.   Prior to that, Anderson worked as a Program Analyst, Infrastructure Security and Regulatory Coordination, for the Transportation Security Administration. Among his duties there, he managed several multi-discipline project teams developing infrastructure security regulations, standards and policies to ensure the safe and secure transportation of passengers and cargo.

Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer is a highly experienced intelligence officer and a recipient of the Bronze Star with 25 years of field experience. He has held numerous leadership positions, including commander of Operating Base (OB) Alpha (Defense Intelligence) and directing Task Force STRATU.S. IVY – a unit that conducted cutting-edge technology and information operations from the mid 1990s through the turn of the century. He has played key roles in multiple interagency operations that were conducted with the NSA, CIA and FBI.   Thomas Popik, founder of the Foundation for Resilient Societies, talks about the connection between nuclear safety and protection from electromagnetic pulse. As recent events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan have shown, nuclear power plants are dependent on electric power to keep critical cooling systems operating.

  Reza Kahlili is a former CIA operative who worked in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. His historical memoir, A Time To Betray (www.atimetobetray.com), a winner of 2010 National & 2011 International book awards, is required reading for U.S. Government intelligence training programs. Kahlili teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA) and at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies. “Reza Kahlili” is a pseudonym for security purposes. Kahlili has been featured on ABC, CBN, C-Span, Fox, MSNBC, Forbes, the Christian Science Monitor and numerous other media outlets.

  Dr. Chris Beck is the President of the Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Council, and joins EMPact Radio to discuss an interim report assessment of the NERC report published in February titled “2012 Special Reliability Assessment Interim Report: Effects of Geomagnetic Disturbances on the Bulk Power System” and the upcoming 3rd Annual World Summit on  Infrastructure Security, which is being held in London in May.   Dr. Beck is a technical and policy expert in several homeland security and national defense related areas including critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, science and technology development, WMD prevention and protection, and emerging threat identification and mitigation.   Dr. Beck served as the Subcommittee Staff Director for Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Science and Technology and was the Senior Advisor for Science and Technology for the House Committee on Homeland Security (CHS), where he worked from May 2005 to May 2011. Prior to CHS, he worked in the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for three years, beginning as a Congressional Science Fellow and then as a legislative assistant.   Before government service, Dr. Beck was a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Northeastern University. He holds a PhD in physics from Tufts University (2001) and a B.S. in physics from Montana State University (1994). He served in the Marine Corps Reserve for five years (1987 – 1992).

Brian Camden is Principal of Hardened Structures, a professional construction program management firm specializing in commercial, residential and community hardening, fortified homes, bomb shelters, bunkers, storm shelters and self-sustaining hardened facilities. The multi-hazard design/build engineering methology that Hardened Structures uses encompasses all aspects of blast hardening, blast effective mitigation, protective design technologies, advances security and alternative energy systems. They provide client/project specific designs addressing conventional weapons, forced entry, chemical, biological, radiological and explosive (CBRE) weapons, 2012 mitigations, climate change and any type of apocalypse or world-ending scenario. Hardened Structures’ team of engineers, architects, project managers, scientists and security specialists confidentially manages all aspects of protection programming, strategic planning, site assessment, complete designs, clandestine contracting, risk assessments, building systems placement, preparedness/response, alternative/solar energy systems, and full construction. Hardened Structures has confidential designers, suppliers and security specialists to cost effectively design/build discreetly anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. A facility or shelter addition can be built in almost any location be it urban, suburban or rural.

The founder and chairman of the board of Emprimus, Mr. George Anderson, and Mr. Gale K. Nordling, Emprimus’ president and CEO, will be joining us to discuss EMP and transformer protection, including their Solid GroundTM neutral DC blocking system and the results of their recent testing.   Mr. George Anderson - In addition to being the Chairman of the Board of Emprimus, George is a Director, Vice-President and Chief Engineer for Crown Iron Works Company in Minneapolis, MN, a company that provides grain companies worldwide with a line of proprietary, large-scale industrial machines and complete processes which remove oil from oilseeds like soybeans, sunflower and Canola. Crown also provides high capacity systems to produce biodiesel fuel. George has long had the primary responsibility for the basic research, technology, concepts and design of large machinery.   Mr. Gale Nordling – Mr. Nordling has 35 years experience as an engineer, risk manager, risk management and insurance consultant, and expert witness. He has been involved with the preparation, negotiation, settlement, litigation, arbitration, mediation, and insurance coverage of over $500 million of claims and contract disputes for engineers, contractors, suppliers and owners including universities, hospitals, states, airlines, casinos, and utilities.

  Bill Heid is the founder and president of Solutions from Science; a company that offers unique products created specifically for those patriotic Americans who are seeking to protect and sustain themselves and their families during tough times, as well as preparing and equipping those interested in a more self-sufficient lifestyle.   Along with his website Off The Grid News, Bill also has a weekly radio program through which he has provided his listeners with extremely useful information as he has interviewed numerous experts such as: Thomas Woods, Jr, Gerald Celente, Debra St. Clair, Joel Salatin, and John Eidsmoe. He also is behind the building of the world’s first solar powered radio and tv station.   www.solutionsfromscience.com www.heirloomsolutions.com www.offthegridnews.com

Scott B. Williams has been exploring wild places and working on perfecting his wilderness skills for most of his life, beginning with hunting and fishing while growing up in Mississippi. His adventures have included thousands of miles of solo long-distance sea kayaking journeys both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as extended wilderness canoeing and backpacking trips in every region of the U.S. His enthusiasm for travel by water fueled an interest in a variety of boats and led him to learn the craft of wooden boatbuilding and later to construct more than a dozen custom-built vessels, including the 26-foot sailing catamaran that is his most recent project. In addition to building boats, paddling small craft, and offshore sailing, he enjoys backpacking, bicycling, dual-sport motorcycling, and photography. He maintains several blogs related to these pursuits and occasionally writes for magazines including Sea Kayaker and SAIL. His most popular blog is Bug Out Survival (BugOutSurvival.com) which expands on his book Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late. More information about all of his books, articles, and blogs can be found on his main website ScottBWilliams.com.

  Dr. Baker returns to EMPact Radio to discuss the implications of the first national exercise (NDU) on national power grid outage caused by solar storms (which can also be caused by EMP). If you’re unable to call in with your questions during the live broadcast, email them in advance to radio@empactamerica.org and we’ll pass them along to Dr. Baker so that he can answer them during the show.   George H. Baker, Ph.D., served on the staff of technical experts for the EMP Commission, served in the Defense Nuclear Agency as director of programs for protecting military systems from EMP, and is currently Technical Director for Infrastructure Assurance at the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance at James Madison University. His research interests include: Infrastructure Assurance, High Power Electromagnetics, Nuclear and Directed Energy Weapon Effects, and Risk Assessment.   Dr. Baker’s publications attest to his expert status in this field, and include “EMP: A National-Scale Threat to the U.S. Infrastructure” (The Critical Infrastructure Protection Report) and Cascading Infrastructure Failures: Avoidance and Response (with Cheryl J. Elliott, 2008).

  Our guest for episode #90 is Chuck Manto, who joins EMPact Radio for his second guest appearance. Chuck Manto will join us to discuss the newly established Infragard Special Interest Group (SIG) on EMP.   Mr. Manto is the head of the new SIG which will focus on threats that could cause nationwide long-term critical infrastructure collapse. “Named the EMP SIG, after electromagnetic pulse, the SIG will cover all similarly dangerous hazards such as extreme space weather, coordinated physical attack, cyber attack or pandemics”.     Among other topics to be discussed will be the Maryland partnership for energy storage, and community reliance/making of EMP protected power. Mr. Manto will also discuss Maryland preparedness activity that resulted from the recent NDU Exercises including next steps and follow ups for the local Emergency Management Agency and fire chiefs. 

  Reza Kahlili is a former CIA operative who worked in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. His historical memoir, A Time To Betray (www.atimetobetray.com), a winner of 2010 National & 2011 International book awards, is required reading for U.S. Government intelligence training programs.   Kahlili teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA) and at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies. “Reza Kahlili” is a pseudonym for security purposes. Kahlili has been featured on ABC, CBN, C-Span, Fox, MSNBC, Forbes, the Christian Science Monitor and numerous other media outlets.

  Clare Lopez returns to EMPact Radio to talk about national security issues and current events, including recent developments in Iran.   Clare M. Lopez is a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, national defense, and counterterrorism issues. Currently a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and vice president of the Intelligence Summit, she formerly was a career operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, a professor at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, Executive Director of the Iran Policy Committee from 2005-2006, and has served as a consultant, intelligence analyst, and researcher for a variety of defense firms.

Mr. Peter Huessy, President of GeoStrategic Analysis, is back on EMPact Radio for his sixth guest appearance to discuss electromagnetic pulse (EMP), state-sponsored terrorism, and other national security topics.  He is President of the defense consulting firm GeoStrategic Analysis, founded in 1981. He serves as consultant, monitoring budget and policy developments on missile defense and related matters.Since 1983, he has hosted more than 750 Congressional breakfast seminars, addressing missile defense, strategic nuclear modernization, arms control and defense policy. He has been a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the National War College. His popular presentations are in constant demand and take him across the country on a regular basis.

Mat Stein is an environmentalist, bestselling author, MIT trained engineer, and green builder. As an expert at self-reliance, emergency prep, and survival, his writings and work help people prepare to weather the storms we are facing due to continuing climate change and ecological decline, coupled with a fossil fuel based economy that has recently passed the peak in world oil production and is struggling to cope with impending near-term shortfalls. Matthew Stein is the author of two bestselling books, When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability and Surviving the Long Emergency (Chelsea Green 2008), and his new book, When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide to Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival (Chelsea Green 2011), which released in November to rave reviews, hitting Amazon’s bestseller list! Stein is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. As the owner of Stein Design & Construction, he has built hurricane resistant, energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes.  The mechanical engineering side of his firm specializes in product design and development. Among other things, Mat has designed consumer water filtration devices, solar PV roofing panels, medical bacterial filters, emergency chemical drench systems, computer disk drives, and portable fiberglass buildings.  In the second segment of this episode, beginning at 1:00 PM, we'll be joined by John Kappenman, the owner of Storm Analysis Consultants.