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What’s new: An intriguing article about authentication and confidence in navigation and timing solutions.
Why its important: There are a lot of factors that go into safe, resilient use of PNT signals. If one is ignored or gotten wrong the result could be disaster.
What else to know: We are always looking to expand the PNT resilience discussion. Thanks to all our readers who highlighted this item for us. Keep those cards and letters coming!
Trust the Signal, Doubt the Position
he Pentagon Can Authenticate the Signal and Still Trust the Wrong Position
Recent investments in assured positioning, navigation, and timing are pushing resilient navigation forward. The next procurement requirement should govern what weapons and autonomous systems do when a trusted receiver can no longer justify confidence in its own solution.
The Pentagon is spending real money on the problem of knowing where forces and weapons are when an adversary is trying to make that answer unreliable. On July 14, its latest APFIT awards included $43 million for an Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing device at scale and $11.24 million for advanced navigation for unmanned aircraft and launched effects. Three days later, the Air Force and Space Force moved ahead with next-generation Maritime and Aviation Receiver Card agreements intended to give weapons-system integrators more resilient PNT in contested environments.
