GAO: More M-Code Delays
Dana A. Goward, FRIN
President, Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation
What's New: The latest report from GAO about DoD's leadership and management of the GPS program.
Why It's Important:
What Else to Know:
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GAO?Highlights View GAO-24-106841. For more information, contact Jon Ludwigson at (202) 512-4841 or [email protected].
Highlights of GAO-24-106841, a report to congressional committees September 2024
GPS MODERNIZATION
Delays Continue in Delivering More Secure Capability for the Warfighter
Why GAO Did This Study
GPS is the principal source of positioning, navigation, and timing information for the U.S. military and its partners. The Air Force launched the first GPS satellite capable of broadcasting the more jam-resistant M-code signal in 2005. Continued delays to the ground and user equipment segments, however, prevent widespread use of the technology. Integration of the user equipment with ground, air, and maritime weapon systems by the military departments is critical to delivering this capability to the warfighter. GAO has reported on challenges DOD experienced developing these systems since 2009 and made many recommendations to improve those efforts. For example, DOD has implemented eight of nine recommendations since 2022.
Congress included a provision for GAO to assess the cost, schedule, and performance of GPS acquisition programs. This report assesses (1) the progress the Space Force has made in modernizing GPS space and ground control segments; (2) the extent to which the Space Force has identified and managed risks in developing and demonstrating user equipment; and (3) the extent to which the military departments have identified and managed risks in acquiring, testing, and fielding M-code-capable user equipment.
GAO reviewed pertinent documentation, such as contract performance reports, and interviewed relevant officials from DOD and the military departments. DOD provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.
What GAO Found
The Department of Defense (DOD) has worked for more than 2 decades to modernize its GPS with a more secure, jam-resistant, military-specific signal known as M-code. The Space Force, part of the Department of the Air Force, is responsible for GPS modernization. The GPS system consists of three segments that cooperate to provide M-code: a space segment, a ground control segment, and user equipment.
After multiple delays, the Space Force has continued its GPS modernization efforts, but significant work and challenges remain for each segment:
GPS User Equipment Integration
The military uses receivers in vehicles, munitions, and handheld devices to receive and process GPS data. The Air Force has been delayed in integrating M-code with its receivers. But the other departments are making progress.