The main objective of HIPOW is to improve the current European situation regarding awareness of NNEMP/HPM threats and the adequacy of protection of critical infrastructures against the threat by demonstrating to policy makers the seriousness of the deficiencies regarding the current situation, defining and topic “SEC-2011.2.2-2: Protection of Critical Infrastructures (structures, platforms and networks) against Electromagnetic Attacks”. Recommendations derived from HIPOW will be compatible with existing techniques and standards already used for other threats, for example lightning. HIPOW will especially focus on the following objectives: • HIPOW will conduct a threat analysis and risk assessment of the occurrence of NNEMP/HPM events and their most likely modalities. This includes also estimating the costs of potential attacks to visualize for policy makers the possible economic impact of NNEMP/EMP attacks. • HIPOW will investigate the influence of NNEMP/HPM pulses on civil objects, like buildings, energy units, transport, banks, communication systems, computer networks, computers and electronic units. Critical infrastructures can be characterized as complex systems with tight couplings . In such systems even minor failures in technological components can have far reaching consequences. HIPOW will select a variety of civil objects that make up critical infrastructures and test the ability of these objects to withstand NNEMP/HMP pulses. • HIPOW will investigate the feasibility of hardening measures. Although hardening measures have been identified, this does not mean that these measures are feasible. Cost level, practical implementation and limited effect in total might influence on whether a measure is feasible or not. HIPOW will investigate and recommend measures that are feasible and which support existing protection regimes and standards. • HIPOW will evaluate the efficiency of current protection (if provided). Current protection consists of mainly two strategies, either hardening or building robust architectures. • HIPOW will prepare a NNEMP/HPM detection and diagnostic systems as key tool for a risk management regime (sensor, networking capabilities and data fusion) and a risk management process. • HIPOW will build on existing knowledge of NNEMP/EMP protection and develop guidelines and input to standards for protecting civil objects against NNEMP/HPM threats. The HIPOW project is articulated through eight well defined work packages that aim at covering all the requirements specified in the topic SEC-2011.2.2.2.