Information for Policymakers from the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)

June 16, 2015

Leaders Discuss Importance of GPS on Capitol Hill

On June 2, DHS Assistant Secretary Caitlin Durkovich, Air Force Brig Gen William Cooley, Director GPS Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center and Director Harold Martin of the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing spoke at an educational event for congressional staff.

The event, organized by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in cooperation with the Space Power Caucus, was an opportunity for attendees to learn about GPS and ongoing modernization efforts.

Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) opened the event with remarks on the importance of GPS to the nation and his district.

Brig Gen Cooley presented an overview of the Air Force GPS program and the ongoing efforts to modernize the space, ground, and user segments of the system. View his presentation.

Ms. Durkovich discussed the role of DHS in engaging owners and operators of critical infrastructure to better understand dependencies upon GPS and seek to mitigate through enhanced information sharing, testing and solutions, and sharing of best practices. View her presentation.

Mr. Martin discussed how GPS enables a diverse array of applications, and corrected several common misconceptions about GPS, including how GPS actually works and how GPS satellites cannot track an individual. His presentation also discussed federal management of GPS and efforts to establish a complement to GPS. View his presentation