During a recent interview on CNN, Ted Cruz described what he considers an under-reported threat to national security: Electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attacks. He explained that this danger involves “a nuclear weapon detonated in the atmosphere, that would take down our electrical grid,” and warned that “it could kill tens of millions of Americans. And all Iran would have to do is fire one nuke into the atmosphere — they don’t need to hit anything, they just need to get it above the Eastern seaboard, and they could kill tens of millions.”

Senator Cruz had also mentioned EMP attacks during the New Hampshire GOP debate, warning that North Korea could attach a nuclear device to a satellite and set off an EMP that “could take down the entire electrical grid on the Eastern seaboard, potentially killing millions.”