2007 Status of the Development of High-Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) Standards in the IEC

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the principal authority for world standards in electrical and electronics engineering. The IEC technical subcommittee 77C "High power transient phenomena" of technical committee 77 "Electromagnetic compatibility" is preparing standards and technical reports dealing with the High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and all categories of High-Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) threats including Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI). At present the work in IEC SC 77C comprises 20 projects, of which 17 have been published. Three new projects are underway and are summarized at the end of this paper. While this subject has been discussed in the past by this author, this paper is intended to document the current status in 2007.