PROTECTION OF MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AGAINST ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE

AS ARMY MEDICAL FIELD AND HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT, THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN INTEGRATED HARDWARE, BECOMES MORE COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED, IT LIKEWISE BECOMES MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE FROM POTENTIAL NUCLEAR EMP COUPLED CURRENT AND VOLTAGE TRANSIENTS. THIS PROPOSAL DEFINES A PLAN WHEREBY THE DESIGNATED MISSION ESSENTIAL MEDICAL EQUIPMENT MAY BE ANALYZED AND EVALUATED FOR TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE HARDNESS OF THE EQUIPMENT AGAINST EMP. THE GOAL OF THE RESEARCH TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THIS PHASE I PROPOSAL, IS TO DEFINE A UNIFORM HARDENING PLAN FOR THE SPECIFIC CLASSES OF EQUIPMENT WHICH CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN A COST EFFECTIVE AND SYSTEMATIC MANNER.