Where's My GPS?

The United States possesses the most powerful military force in the world and the underpinning for that force is provided by the ubiquity of Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) systems; the United States Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS) is by far the most prevalent. The vast majority of US combat systems and capabilities, including foundational capabilities such as global situational awareness and precision long-range strike, heavily leverage the capabilities provided by GPS. However, by integrating GPS into every significant combat system, it is argued that the USAF has inadvertently created a vulnerability that will be exploited by future foes. The USAF and our joint partners cannot afford to operate without GPS and PNT capability and therefore must learn to operate through GPS and PNT degradation. To do so, the USAF must develop and nurture across its core competencies two critical capabilities: the ability recognize a degraded PNT environment and the ability to successfully operate in said environs. The threat should not be over-stated but neither should decision-makers and leaders wish away the challenges presented by operations in PNT degraded environments. Rather, a combination of mitigations such as testing, exercises, training, policy changes, material solutions and operational tactics, techniques and procedures must all be synchronized in a manner that guarantees that US combat forces are equipped and trained to achieve mission success in all PNT environments.