Missile defense, power grid to be discussed Nov. 20

Ambassador Henry F. “Hank” Cooper, chair of the Board of High Frontier and director of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) during the Bush administration, will speak at Ripon College, Monday, Nov. 20.

The program, “Missile Defense and EMP,” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union, on the campus. The Ripon College International Relations Club is sponsoring the visit. All are welcome to attend at no charge.

Cooper will discuss his work with local, state and federal authorities regarding counter measures in the event of a loss of the electric power grid, caused by rogue states and/or their terrorist surrogates employing a combination of direct, cyber and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.

The Board of High Frontier is a nonprofit, non-partisan educational corporation, formed to examine the potential for defending America against missile attack. Cooper’s other roles in service to his country include leading the development of President Reagan’s space arms control policy while serving as assistant director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; and deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force, instituting the 1981 Strategic Modernization Program.

He also is chair of Applied Research Associates, a senior associate of the National Institute for Public Policy, and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Previously, in the private sector, he was senior vice president of Jaycor, deputy director of the Nuclear Weapons Effects Division at R&D Associates, a member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories, and an instructor at Clemson University.