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EO 13865Executive OrderTrump 45 · R Quiet signal

Executive Order 13865

Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses

This executive order establishes a whole-of-government framework to improve U.S. resilience against electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), whether from nuclear detonations, solar events, or other sources. It assigns specific roles to Cabinet departments for risk assessment, research and development, vulnerability testing, international coordination, and critical infrastructure protection, with multiple phased deadlines spanning from 90 days to 4 years.

Federal Register Open PDF 84 FR 12041

Impact dates

  1. Secretary of Interior completes magnetotelluric survey of contiguous United States

  2. DHS develops integrated cross-sector plan to address data gaps

  3. Secretary of Defense reports on cost and effectiveness of hardening approaches

  4. DHS reviews EMP test data gaps

  5. DHS develops mitigation plan for vulnerable priority infrastructure

  6. DHS assesses EMP effects on critical communications infrastructure

  7. DHS develops and implements pilot test for mitigation engineering approaches

  8. Secretary of Defense conducts pilot test to harden strategic military installation

  9. DHS assesses vulnerability of identified critical infrastructure to EMPs

  10. Secretary of Energy reviews EMP standards and develops quantitative benchmarks

  11. First biennial technology options report for critical infrastructure resilience

  12. DHS identifies regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms for private-sector engagement

  13. First quadrennial EMP risk assessment

  14. Agencies update operational plans for National Essential Functions

  15. FEMA Administrator reviews and updates Federal response plans for EMPs

  16. DHS identifies national critical functions and priority critical infrastructure

Key directives

  • APNSA shall coordinate EMP risk assessment and management, submitting annual progress reports to the President
  • Secretary of State shall lead diplomatic coordination with allies on EMP resilience and strengthen nuclear nonproliferation
  • Secretary of Defense shall improve EMP warning capabilities, conduct R&D on military system hardening, and incorporate EMPs in defense planning
  • Secretary of Commerce shall provide natural EMP forecasting and develop commercial EMP technology standards
  • Secretary of Energy shall conduct early-stage R&D on EMP effects on electric power grid
  • Secretary of Homeland Security shall coordinate critical infrastructure resilience, response planning, and quadrennial risk assessments
  • DNI shall coordinate intelligence assessments on adversarial EMP capabilities
  • DHS shall identify national critical functions and priority infrastructure within 90 days
  • DHS shall assess vulnerability of identified critical infrastructure to EMPs within 1 year of identification
  • DHS shall review EMP test data gaps within 180 days of vulnerability assessment
  • DHS shall develop integrated cross-sector plan to address data gaps within 180 days of gap identification
  • Secretary of Energy shall review/update EMP standards and develop quantitative benchmarks within 1 year

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • APNSA assumes coordination role for EMP resilience across executive branch
  • Annual reporting and R&D review cycles begin

Near term (90d)

  • DHS identifies national critical functions and priority critical infrastructure at greatest risk (90 days)

Long term

  • First quadrennial EMP risk assessment due within 1 year
  • Magnetotelluric survey of contiguous U.S. due within 4 years
  • Ongoing biennial technology resilience reports and plan updates

Risks & tensions

  • Implementation subject to availability of appropriations, creating funding uncertainty
  • Complex interagency coordination required across Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior, and Intelligence Community with potential for jurisdictional friction
  • Private-sector engagement relies on voluntary incentives and information sharing rather than mandates, potentially limiting adoption
  • 4-year magnetotelluric survey timeline may delay vulnerability assessments for energy infrastructure
  • Sequential deadlines create cascading dependencies; delays in early milestones (90-day identification) could compound downstream
  • Vague 'as appropriate' qualifiers throughout may weaken accountability for information sharing and private-sector collaboration
Executive Order 13865: Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses · Executive Orders