In 1995, the United States launched the Global Positioning System (GPS), transforming how the world navigates, communicates, and coordinates. Today, GPS underpins nearly every facet of modern life — from autonomous tractors to missile guidance, from mobile maps to financial markets. But three decades after its debut, this once-revolutionary system has become a singular point of failure. The GPS system is showing its age, and with threats mounting, America is facing a reckoning: our dependency on a fragile, legacy system is no longer just a technical liability — it’s a national vulnerability. The Cracks in the Foundation The Cracks in the Foundation GPS relies on satellite signals transmitted from 20,000 kilometers above Earth. By the time those signals reach a receiver — say, in a smartphone or an F-35 fighter jet — they’re extraordinarily weak, equivalent to trying to hear a whisper in a hurricane. This makes them easy to jam or spoof. These are not hypothetical risks. In Ukraine, Russian electronic warfare units have regularly used GPS jamming and spoofing to disable drones, mislead troops, and blind precision munitions. In May 2024, a solar storm knocked out GPS-based tractor systems across the American Midwest, halting spring planting overnight. And in a world increasingly run on synchronized data and logistics, the collateral damage from a widespread GPS disruption is no longer measured in minutes — it’s measured in billions. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a nationwide GPS outage could cost the economy over $1 billion per day. $1 billion per day An Invisible Dependency An Invisible Dependency The public often sees GPS as a navigation tool. But its most critical role is hidden: timing. GPS provides the atomic-clock precision that powers mobile networks, financial trades, power grids, and emergency services. Lose GPS, and: Cell towers desynchronize.
911 call routing fails.
Financial markets lose timestamp integrity.
Water treatment plants can’t dose chemicals correctly. Cell towers desynchronize. Cell towers desynchronize. 911 call routing fails. 911 call routing fails. Financial markets lose timestamp integrity. Financial markets lose timestamp integrity. Water treatment plants can’t dose chemicals correctly. Water treatment plants can’t dose chemicals correctly. These cascading failures don’t just disrupt — they endanger. The Global Race to Diversify The Global Race to Diversify Other world powers have already recognized the danger of overreliance. China’s BeiDou, Europe’s Galileo, and Russia’s GLONASS offer sovereign PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) capabilities — many with enhanced features. BeiDou, for instance, integrates two-way messaging and encrypted regional services designed for military use. Meanwhile, the U.S. is playing catch-up. Although GPS remains dominant, it's increasingly isolated. The U.S. has no fully deployed backup system, and its modernization efforts have lagged behind those of its peers. But that may be changing. The FCC Steps In: A New Path Forward The FCC Steps In: A New Path Forward In March 2025, the Federal Communications Commission issued a sweeping Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to catalyze development of complementary and alternative PNT systems. The initiative reflects growing consensus in Washington: GPS alone is not enough. Notice of Inquiry (NOI) The FCC is now actively soliciting feedback and ideas on how to: Promote GPS alternatives through regulatory flexibility and spectrum policy.
Encourage terrestrial PNT systems like eLoran (a radio-based system resilient to jamming) and BPS (Broadcast Positioning System using TV signals).
Evaluate low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites — like those developed by Xona and TrustPoint — for delivering precise timing and positioning data.
Incorporate promising technologies like M-GPS®, which leverages variations in Earth’s magnetic field for location accuracy, even underground or indoors.
Enhance cross-agency and private-sector collaboration for system testing and deployment. Promote GPS alternatives through regulatory flexibility and spectrum policy. Promote GPS alternatives Encourage terrestrial PNT systems like eLoran (a radio-based system resilient to jamming) and BPS (Broadcast Positioning System using TV signals). Encourage terrestrial PNT systems Evaluate low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites — like those developed by Xona and TrustPoint — for delivering precise timing and positioning data. Evaluate low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites Incorporate promising technologies like M-GPS®, which leverages variations in Earth’s magnetic field for location accuracy, even underground or indoors. Incorporate promising technologies Enhance cross-agency and private-sector collaboration for system testing and deployment. Enhance cross-agency and private-sector collaboration FCC Chairman Brendan Carr put it plainly: “Our electric grid, our financial systems, our ports, our communications networks — all rely on GPS. But GPS is increasingly at risk. A resilient PNT system is no longer optional — it's urgent.” “Our electric grid, our financial systems, our ports, our communications networks — all rely on GPS. But GPS is increasingly at risk. A resilient PNT system is no longer optional — it's urgent.” A System of Systems: America’s Next Chapter A System of Systems: America’s Next Chapter The FCC isn’t acting alone. DOT, DOD, DHS, and others are developing a “system of systems” approach — a layered architecture of space-based, terrestrial, and hybrid solutions. Among the most promising: eLoran: A ground-based, low-frequency system with strong signals and low susceptibility to jamming.
NextNav: A commercial terrestrial network offering 3D location and timing using dedicated spectrum.
ATSC 3.0 Broadcast PNT: Leveraging television infrastructure to provide indoor-penetrating PNT signals.
LEO-based systems: Constellations like Xona’s Pulsar or Iridium STL offering centimeter-level accuracy and fast refresh rates.
M-GPS®: Technology using geomagnetic anomalies for navigation, offering potential in GPS-denied environments such as indoors, tunnels, or under dense foliage. eLoran: A ground-based, low-frequency system with strong signals and low susceptibility to jamming. eLoran NextNav: A commercial terrestrial network offering 3D location and timing using dedicated spectrum. NextNav ATSC 3.0 Broadcast PNT: Leveraging television infrastructure to provide indoor-penetrating PNT signals. ATSC 3.0 Broadcast PNT LEO-based systems: Constellations like Xona’s Pulsar or Iridium STL offering centimeter-level accuracy and fast refresh rates. LEO-based systems M-GPS®: Technology using geomagnetic anomalies for navigation, offering potential in GPS-denied environments such as indoors, tunnels, or under dense foliage. M-GPS® These alternatives aren’t meant to replace GPS — they’re meant to complement it. Like cybersecurity, resiliency lies in diversity. What Comes Next What Comes Next The goal is not to abandon GPS. It’s to ensure that when — not if — it’s degraded or denied, the systems that underpin our economy and national defense don’t blink. But technical fixes are not enough. The FCC's NOI also calls for: Standards development and international coordination.
Device-level updates to allow interoperability.
Clear rules about foreign GNSS (like BeiDou or GLONASS) in consumer devices.
Public-private partnerships and government investment to reduce deployment friction. Standards development and international coordination. Standards development and international coordination. Device-level updates to allow interoperability. Device-level updates to allow interoperability. Clear rules about foreign GNSS (like BeiDou or GLONASS) in consumer devices. Clear rules about foreign GNSS (like BeiDou or GLONASS) in consumer devices. Public-private partnerships and government investment to reduce deployment friction. Public-private partnerships and government investment to reduce deployment friction. Conclusion: From Fragility to Fortitude Conclusion: From Fragility to Fortitude America’s GPS advantage gave it a 30-year head start. But that advantage is eroding — not from lack of innovation, but from lack of redundancy. To restore that edge, we must invest not just in satellites, but in spectrum, policy, and imagination. From farmland to finance, from battlefield to broadband, the next chapter in American resilience depends on how seriously we treat the invisible infrastructure of time and space. GPS was a triumph of its time. Now it’s time to build what comes next.

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

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America’s GPS Dependency Is Becoming a National Vulnerability

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