Inside a live-fire test of grid security

About this episode

This episode discusses a live-fire test of grid security with Brent Warzocha, highlighting the risks and realities of protecting utility infrastructure.

What happens when you fire military-grade weapons at substation infrastructure? We don’t have to ask in theory, because today’s guest has put that question to the test. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Brent Warzocha of 3B Protection following a live-fire demonstration outside Las Vegas where Brent and his team tested ballistic substation walls against everything from World War I-era weapons to .50 caliber rifles. The event brought utility leaders face-to-face with the physical security risks facing modern grid infrastructure and made it real, both in terms of risks and what they should be doing about it. Brent provides a recap of what attendees saw, the reactions from utility professionals, and the “aha moments” that come from witnessing real ballistic testing instead of reviewing theoretical standards. This crucial conversation digs into why Underwriters Laboratories baseline testing often doesn’t reflect real-world threats, and how RLS testing is helping utilities better understand the difference between minimum compliance and true resilience. The live-fire demos showed not just dramatic visuals (be sure to watch the video version of this conversation to…

People in this episode

Host: Kinsey Grant Baker

Guest: Brent Warzocha

Topics covered

• grid security
• live-fire testing
• utility infrastructure
• ballistic testing
• physical security risks

Keywords

• grid security
• live-fire test
• ballistic testing
• utility leaders
• physical security

Sponsors

3B Protection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Underwriters Laboratories

Places: Las Vegas

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