Application of IEC SC 77C standards to IEMI protection

Beginning in 1989 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Subcommittee 77C began developing standards to protect civil systems against man-made high power electromagnetic threats, including high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) produced by a nuclear detonation in space, and intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) produced by electromagnetic weapons used by criminals and terrorists. This paper is intended to advance the discussion concerning the need for guidelines by identifying problems of interest to civil installations and describing how the published standards (and those under development) can be used to develop protection strategies.