The top screen showing the hydrogen maser and cesium clocks in an adjacent isolated room used for realization of the timescale for research purposes. Students presenting their work to the USNO and Microchip Inc., visitors. (Photo: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)

The University of Alabama, with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has established a program unlike any other in the country. It focuses on positioning, navigation, timing, and frequency (PNTF) as its own discipline, with a special emphasis on precise timing.

The Alabama Collaborative for Contemporary Education in Precision Timing (ACCEPT) is an NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program designed to train the next generation of graduate (master’s and Ph.D.) degree holders in PNTF.

ACCEPT provides interdisciplinary training and education for physics, engineering, mathematics and computer science majors. The school hopes to make it a graduate program eventually. Enrollees are awarded a fellowship that includes a $34,000/yr stipend.

“The ACCEPT program was created because industry and government officials told us they could never find enough people in this field,” said Adam Hauser, the program’s executive director, who is also an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the university. According to Hauser “It is the only program in the nation directly addressing a larger scale workforce development in precision timing.”

Left to right: Dr. LeClair, Dr. Hauser and Dr. Bandi founded and run the ACCEPT PNT program at University of Alabama. (Photo: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)

ACCEPT’s Technical Director — also billed as “Time Lord” — is Thejesh Bandi, an associate professor. He reinforces Hauser’s message about the scarcity of focused talent in the area. “This field is greying,” he says. “We need young minds who will also bring in fresh ideas.”

Hauser describes the program as “a flexible multidisciplinary course curricula that includes professional development, and real-world training with our industry and government partners.”

The program’s “interdisciplinary” nature is reflected in the ACCEPT team. In addition to physics and astronomy, faculty from mathematics, electrical and computer, civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering, as well as the communications and higher education departments, are included.

This diversity of expertise is needed for ACCEPT’s ‘holistic education” approach founded on four pillars.

1. Industry-Directed Curriculum: First, because the goal is to supply qualified graduates to fill critical national needs in industry, the foundational curriculum is based on and will continue to evolve with input from commercial entities in the PNTF space. In addition to several government agencies and labs, the ACCEPT Advisory Board includes representatives from SpectraDynamics, Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon Technologies, Microchip Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, OEWaves, Inc, Safran S.A., Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Resilient Navigation and Timing (RNT) Foundation.
2. Sustained Industry & Community Immersion: The program’s major focus is moving beyond academia. Internships and PNTF professional community events are mandatory. Students attend the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Time and Frequency Division’s time and frequency seminar each year. In their second year, they begin attending the Institute of Navigation’s annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) meeting. As their research and professional skills mature, they are expected to progress from attendees to poster presenters and speakers.
3. Professional Development: Reinforcing preparation for moving beyond the classroom, ACCEPT trains students to “… effectively work across academic, policy, governmental and industry sectors,” according to Hauser. “They need to be able to advocate as a professional to a larger audience effectively.” This means including students in programs like the university’s Speaking Studio and Capstone Center for Student Success. Communication skills, teamwork and ethics are particular focus areas.
4. Research: Bandi’s Research Quantime Lab is hosted by Professor Patrick LeClair’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Research projects for ACCEPT fellows and trainees are designed in conjunction with our government and industrial partners and focus on cutting-edge innovations that solve today’s problems in currently used technologies,” Le Clair said.

The lab strongly focuses on Quantum Engineering research, though there are also opportunities in Characterization and Calibration, Networking and Synchronization, and research into Precision Devices.

Click here for more information about applying for an ACCEPT fellowship or becoming an industry partner.

<p>The post ACCEPT: University of Alabama prepping next generation of PNTF experts first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Defense Navigation Capabilities

In May 2021, GAO reported on “Defense Navigation Capabilities: DOD is Developing Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Technologies to Complement GPS.”

Observations included that DOD continues to rely heavily on GPS despite known vulnerabilities. Also, that alternate PNT efforts are not well coordinated and receive little support.

“Opportunities” for DOD to improve its alternate PNT efforts, according to the report, include:

• Improving coordination across the services
• Clarifying authorities and responsibilities for prioritizing needs
• Focusing on resiliency versus GPS as the cornerstone of department PNT efforts
• Clarifying PNT requirements rather than just defaulting to GPS as “the need”
• Coordinating with industry.

GPS Modernization

In May, GAO issued the report “GPS Modernization: Better Information and Detailed Test Plans Needed for Timely Fielding of Military User Equipment.” about the implementation of M-code — the military-only, stronger, more jam-resistant signal.

The report pointed out that M-code has been in development for 20+ years, and that GPS satellites have been capable of transmitting M-code signals since 2005. Also, while there are still program risks, the Next Generation Ground Control Segment, known as OCX, is forecast to be ready to support M-code use by 2023.

OCX has experienced severe cost overruns and is more than five years behind its original schedule. GAO issued a report on OCX delays in May 2019.

M-code won’t really be a capability in DOD, though, until user equipment is widely fielded. That will take several more years, according to GAO.

One of the remaining challenges to M-code implementation, GAO said, was that the department did not collect and validate all the data it needed for leadership planning and prioritization.

GPS Alternatives

The first week of August saw release of the GAO report “GPS Alternatives: DOD Is Developing Navigation Systems But Is Not Measuring Overall Progress.”

A summary on the first page of the report contains what could be seen as harsh criticism of how PNT efforts are led within DOD:

“DOD’s overall PNT portfolio is managed by the PNT Oversight Council, a statutorily established senior-level body. However, the Council has largely prioritized modernizing the existing GPS system over alternative PNT efforts during recent meetings and has no strategic objectives or metrics to measure progress on the alternative efforts.”

Image: DOD

Too Much Leadership?

Some believe the real problem with DOD PNT is not a lack of leadership, but rather too much.

“If everyone is in charge, no one is,” commented one retired senior military officer familiar with the issue.

“Congress has been concerned about DOD’s lack of attention to GPS and PNT alternatives for years,” the individual said. “In 2015 Congress mandated creation of the Oversight Council to help ensure PNT got the right amount of leadership attention.” This may have not had the desired effect, though.

“The council is comprised of three undersecretaries, the vice chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], four combatant commanders, the NSA [National Security Agency] director, DOD’s CIO [chief information officer], and host of other very senior folks. All of whom have way too many other duties. It’s no wonder the department has a hard time getting things done!”

The department’s CIO is the Defense Secretary’s Principal Staff Assistant for PNT. As such, the CIO is tasked with coordinating department-wide efforts. The task is made particularly difficult by the many and diverse players across the department, all of whom have their own authorities, interests and projects.

Proposed systems and capabilities are examined and developed by a variety of DOD organizations. These include laboratories belonging to the five services and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Programs of Record, which usually lead to acquisition of large systems, are led and managed within the individual services.

A Better Way?

Aside from recommending improved coordination of PNT efforts across the department, GAO has never addressed the way DOD manages its PNT enterprise.

“That is not something we normally get into unless specifically tasked,” said one of the reports’ authors. “We assume departments know best how to lead and manage their efforts.”

Others are not so reticent. They believe the current management structure is incapable of managing the development, acquisition and fielding of the DOD PNT Enterprise with any urgency or efficiency.

“GAO’s focus on the Oversight Council is misplaced,” one retired official asserted. “The missing piece is not oversight, it’s day-to-day DOD-wide management.”

“They need a multi-service program of record for resilient PNT,” the official said. “This would be separate from the GPS program, which would keep its own projects going and feed into the resilient effort. The new resilient PNT program should be managed by a Joint Program Office, which could consolidate integration and acquisition of resilient PNT applications. The office would be the steward for the critical technologies that underpin the modular, open-system integration strategy, including the digital reference architecture, input and output standards, software fusion engines, and needed modeling and simulation tools to ensure NAVWAR compliance.”

Such a construct could provide needed focus and coordination to DOD efforts, address many long-standing congressional concerns, and, by coordinating efforts within DOD and with industry, accelerate progress.

Related article: Who Runs GPS? 

Dana A. Goward is President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. He serves on the President’s National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board.

<p>The post GAO discusses DOD PNT management and leadership — again first appeared on GPS World.</p>

<p>The post Congressman to introduce webinar on protecting GPS first appeared on GPS World.</p>

On May 10, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on navigation efforts n the Department of Defense (DOD). Among its findings were that the department regularly fails to establish validated navigation and timing requirements for systems and instead defaults to the capabilities of GPS. Also, that alternate positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) efforts are not prioritized, and sometimes actively opposed, by forces within DOD.

One of the report’s more startling recommendations is that the department change its focus from GPS as the central pillar of its PNT strategy going forward in favor of resilient technologies.

The Institute of Navigation (ION) and Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation (RNTF) are hosting a webinar to discuss the report with two of its authors on June 15 at 11 a.m. ET. Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee staff have also been invited as panelists.

After a panel discussion moderated by Dana A. Goward, president of the RNT Foundation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.

The event is open to the public, but attendees must register in advance.

<p>The post Controversial GAO report on DOD nav webinar June 15 first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: Leestat/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Two recent reports from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have described a recent increase in GPS jamming, presumably by Russian or pro-Russian forces in Ukraine. This comes as Russia has increased its troop numbers and activity along its border with Ukraine.

OSCE is charged with a Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine which observes and reports on how well both sides are adhering to the Minsk Protocol agreement. The agreement was signed in September 2014 by participants in the conflict in an effort to end open hostilities.

One of the ways the OSCE mission monitors activity and compliance in the region is with long range UAVs. As early as November 2014, the organization reported UAV operations being thwarted by interference with GPS signals.

Two recent OSCE spot reports have highlighted a resurgence in jamming.

An April 7 report described interference that prevented a UAV takeoff the previous day. While the organization’s UAVs had been experiencing increased interference since March, this was the first time since October 2014 that it had thwarted a mission before takeoff.

The report also documented an increasing level of jamming activity.

“Over the last two months, 62.5 percent of SMM long-range UAV flights encountered GPS signal interference and on 75 percent of the affected flights it occurred more than once.”

A second report on April 9 outlined continuing problems that caused missions to be aborted. It emphasized that this was a violation of the agreement signed by all parties and greatly hampered OSCE’s mission.

“Any GPS signal interference hinders the Mission’s ability to conduct effective monitoring and reporting of the security situation in line with its mandate. Long-range UAVs are an essential part of SMM operations, especially at night and in areas where the Mission’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted.”

GPS jamming and spoofing are important parts of Russia’s arsenal to counter any technological advantage the west may have over their forces. A 2015 Sputnik article bragged their electronic warfare kept U.S. cruise missiles from hitting their targets at the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Also, that this advanced capability “renders aircraft carriers useless.”

Interference with GPS signals is a regular feature of Russian military and internal security operations.

Upon more than one occasion Russia has jammed GPS signals near NATO exercises and regularly jams broad areas in the Middle East from a base in Syria. Its spoofing of GPS signals in Moscow and the Black Sea to cause receivers to report that they are at airports kilometers away from their true location has been well documented.

The United States has formally expressed concerns about the recent increase in the number of Russian troops and their activity at the Ukrainian border. It has been reported that two U.S. Navy ships are on their way to the Black Sea to help monitor the situation.

Dana A. Goward is president of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.

<p>The post Russia ramps up GPS jamming along with troops at Ukraine border first appeared on GPS World.</p>

The 1,174 page set of reports are comprehensive and document the first phase of what is intended as a multi-phase effort.

Graphic: RIN and RNTF

The webinar will present how maritime positioning requirements were systematically developed; an assessment of current and future positioning systems to deliver the required performance and integrity; rigorous gap analysis, showing where performance falls short, as well as options to solve these issues; and a roadmap of steps needed to take — and by whom — toward maritime resilient positioning.

Webinar speakers will include Jonathan Turner of the MarRINav project team, Alan Grant of the Royal Institute of Navigation and Dana Goward of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.

Register for the event here.

<p>The post RNTF, RIN co-host webinar on maritime resilience first appeared on GPS World.</p>