Actually, it is the burst of high energy gamma rays from the nuclear blast that induces the EMP, by what's called Compton Scattering. Relative to our perception, the duration of the EMP generation cycle is quite short (typically 10 milliseconds or so), on a timescale calibrated to such events, 10 milliseconds is way longer than 10 nanoseconds (kinda like comparing minutes to eons on our timescale).

Radiation hardening is a legitimate concern. Radiation can cause as much or more damage than the EMP. TTL was not as susceptible to radiation induced transient failure, but the current commercial technology is based more on MOS semiconductors, which are susceptible to ionizing radiation at levels below 1 RAD, which is a possible exposure level in an airburst at 20-40 km, which happens to be where nuke EMPs are targeted to detonate because that's where the Gamma radiation induces the highest EMP level in the atmosphere. Of course, all this information is published on the internet. Typically with EMPs, the solid state device blows at the semiconductor junction because the Peak Inverse Voltage is exceeded. An EMP creates a voltage spike in all the conductors, including the lans of the circuit boards, the compnent leads, the internal substrates, and the external circuit wiring as you noted. Of course, you can electrically shield these circuits against the EMP, but that shield may not prevent the radiation exposure, especially if it is mostly Gamma, and the circuit will blow anyways. Given that most electronic circuits still employ lead based solder, high energy nuetrons (also present in nuke emp detonations) which also are difficult to shield against can induce a secondary x-ray emission due to the Bremstralung effect, at a fairly close proximity to the semiconductor junction I might add, which said junctions are also susceptible to (x-rays ionize substrate atoms liberating electrons, which induce an emf at the junction, and also a photonic emission that deteriorates the junction). These are all factors that have to be sheided against when putting electronic equipment in space as well, very real concerns that have little to do with shielding against EMPs. There's a good deal of technology devoted to it, so it must be a design factor for a reason.

I'll agree that the radiation surge from a nuke EMP will get you long before the strength of the electromagnetic field does. I'm not sure what your counterpoint was in that statement.

I would add that an electromagnetic field does more than just act on the hemoglobin. High transient spike EMPs induce a temporary field in the skeletal structure. This transient has the effect of rippling the bones as eddy fields develop, and the result is signficant fracture of the structure. As before, I would agree that the radiation will get you before the electromagnetic field does in a Nuke EMP, but in a conventional EMP, lacking the radiation component, it is advisable that you keep your distance from the point of origin. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't want to be holding on to a suitcase containing a non-nuke emp when the thing went off, unless I want to know real, unequivocal pain. Our experiments indicated that significant bone fracture occurred using transient fields that were lower than what was needed to rupture or extract hemoglobin. Independent variables made it hard to predict or determine what gaussian level was needed, but it was distinctly lower.

I think it is still apples and apples.

As I also discovered after my Naval tour in the Cryptologic program, they don't teach you everything there. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />