A Future with eLoran...continued 

National PNT Board declares jamming of GPS a national security threat

In a comprehensive report released on November 4, 2010, the National Position, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board stated that the Global Position Systems (GPS) should be formally designated by the Executive branch as a critical infrastructure and managed as such by DHS. It was pointed out that the United States is now dependent on numerous extended, complex networks like cell phone towers, power grid management and aircraft landing systems which can not function without access to a viable GPS signal.

To protect GPS from deliberate intrusion, systems must be devised and put in place to locate and shut down sources of interference with appropriate legal powers to arrest and prosecute offenders. Noting that while foreign GPS type systems (Glonass, Galileo and Compass) may on occasion be of some help to supplement GPS, devices capable of jamming all satellite radio navigation signals are readily available on the world market today.

The report describes in detail the demonstrated vulnerability of the GPS signal and the alarming effectiveness of even simple and inexpensive devices to create harmful disruption to GPS services in an area. Any loss of GPS signal integrity, position and timing data will also react on the operation of secondary systems such as electronic map displays, communication satellite antenna orientation or automatic marine status reporting which depend on it .

Prompt action must be taken in many quarters to preserve and protect GPS integrity. The Board strongly recommended the following actions.

The previously announced decision to deploy eLoran as the Primary Alternative source for PNT should be reconfirmed and quickly implemented.

The National Executive Committee should establish and sponsor a National GPS Interference Locating, Reporting and Elimination System which will serve to coordinate and expand the present resources of several Departments

The Government should take such steps as appropriate to accelerate the design and production of interference-resistant multi-modal receivers especially those intended for safety-of-life applications.

The National Space Based PNT Advisory Board is a federal Advisory committee established by NASA on behalf of the Executive Committee. It consists of experts from outside the U.S. Government who provide advice on U.S. Space-based PNT policy planning, program management and funding profiles, in relation to the current state of national and international space-based PNT services.