Headlines: Final NDAA Includes Guidance for GPS Program
Information for Policymakers from the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)
August 17, 2018
Final NDAA Includes Guidance for GPS Program
On Monday, August 13, President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The NDAA includes policy and funding guidance for the GPS program but does not expend funds from the U.S. Treasury. The NDAA recommends funding the GPS Program at $1.461B, an $18M reduction for the GPS program compared to the initial request. The NDAA also includes the following provisions:
Control Segment: Section 1615 directs that, "Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that identifies whether the current Global Positioning System Operational Control Segment (OCS) can be incrementally improved to achieve capabilities similar to the Next Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX) used to operate the Global Positioning System III".
Electronic Warfare: Section 1053, titled "Guidance on the Electronic Warfare Mission Area and Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations, "directs a number of actions, including "a review of vulnerabilities with respect to electronic systems, such as the Global Positioning System, and in Department-wide abilities to conduct countermeasures in response to electronic warfare attacks".
Enhancement of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Capacity: Section 1609 requires the Secretary of the Air Force, unless waived by the Secretary of Defense on a case-by-case basis, and subject to appropriate mitigation efforts, to ensure that military Global Positioning System user equipment terminals have the capability to receive trusted signals from the Galileo satellites of the European Union and the QZSS satellites of Japan, beginning with increment 2 of the acquisition of such terminals. This section also requires the terminals to have the capability to receive non-allied positioning, navigation, and timing signals if the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, determines that the benefits outweigh the risks or the risks can be appropriately mitigated. This section also requires engagement with relevant U.S. allies.
M-Code Receivers: Section 1610 requires the Secretary of Defense to designate a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense to be responsible for coordinating common solutions for the Military-code modernization efforts among the military departments, Defense Agencies, and other appropriate elements of the Department of Defense by not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
This newsletter is produced and distributed by the National Coordination Office for Space-Based PNT, a central resource within the government for GPS policy information. The National Coordination Office highlights legislation for information only and does not endorse any pending legislation except where explicitly noted. For more information, visit www.gps.gov/congress.
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