The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides numerous benefits to people across the globe. Vehicle manufacturers use the system for navigation in their cars, cell-phones use GPS to triangulate the user’s location, and certain applications use the system to track workouts. There are, however, numerous military applications for GPS. Aircraft use it for guidance, naval vessels use it to traverse the ocean, soldiers track each other on the ground with it, and guided bombs use it to strike within feet of their target. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 specifically prohibited the placement of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in space. While GPS is neither of these, it is a weapon system that is vital to our national security. This research paper will analyze the history of GPS, military applications of GPS, threats and vulnerabilities to the GPS system, and its future uses as a weapon system. HISTORY OF GPS While GPS satellites are launched, operated, and maintained by U.S. Air Force personnel, the idea for a navigation system began with the U.S. Navy. As Russia won the space race by putting Sputnik into orbit, George Weiffenbach and William Guier, from the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University determined that they could locate Sputnik at any position within its orbit. They were able to do this by monitoring the Doppler shift of Sputnik’s signal as it traveled through space. With this in mind, the two determined that if they could see the Doppler shift, so could a sensor here on Earth. That information can then be turned into navigational data. The two then went to work inside APL developing a system for the U.S. Navy called Transit. Transit, also known as the Navy Navigation Satellite Sy... ... middle of paper ... ...nt Gps Launch Vehicle Tracked with Gps Rather Than Radar.” The American Surveyor Website. May 20, 2014. Accessed May 28, 2014. http://www.amerisurv.com/content/view/12658/. Air Force Website. “Mq-9 Reaper.” August 18, 2010. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104470/mq-9-reaper.aspx. Wilson, J.R. “Electronic Warfare: The Cat-and-mouse Game Continues.” Military and Aerospace Website. September 9, 2013. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/print/volume-24/issue-9/special-report/electronic-warfare-the-cat-and-mouse-game-continues.html. Everstine, Brian “Pilots Shut Off Gps, Other Tools to Train for Future Wars.” Air Force Times Website. October 17, 2013. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131017/NEWS04/310170007/Pilots-shut-off-GPS-other-tools-train-future-wars.
(U) Background: Over the course of United States history the Army has made changes to how it engages its foreign enemies. These tactics techniques and procedures are the result of lessons learned during conflict, mistakes made under fire, and the results of a nation at war. As a result the IPB process has changed to accommodate a dynamic and often fluid battlefield. However this has not changed the core concept behind IPB, the four steps still remain an integral part of the Commanders Military Decision Making Process (MDMP), and are essential in war gaming. IPB assist in providing valuable Intelligence to the War Fighter throughout all phases of operations. This paper will cover each step of the IPB Process as well as discuss products associated with each of those steps and how these products can be an asset to the Commander and the War Fighter.
...al technical intelligence requirements (United States, I).” As wars continue, we must remain open to apply new strategies and tactics that will keep us out front as one of the most strategically and tactically sound military forces.
Lucas, C. (1997 September) Chief Airey. Air Force Magazine, vol 80. Retrieved from http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1997/September 1997/0997airey.aspx
If successful, the demonstrator may pave the way for future development of a THEL User Operational Evaluation System for use in U.S. peace keeping/contingency operations. The U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, Texas, officially designated as the proponent for THEL by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, will develop a mission need statement and an operational requirements statement for the initial THEL configuration.
Singer, Peter W. "War Made New: The History and Future of Technology and Warfare." The Brookings Institution. N.p., 26 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Protecting the United States from Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction through the National Missile Defense Program
To conclude, while most of these technologies would most likely have been discovered and improved upon without the influence of war the process was sped up to meet the urgency presented with conflicts. Everyone is affected by at least one of these technologies on a daily basis whether it is derived from the materials, weapons, transportation, medical, or communications sectors. Technology allows Americans to live easier lives and although the many soldiers who have served their country did not actually create the technology, their sacrifices that led to the funding and need for improvements. Everyone should think about where their cell phones and computers came from and what others did to give everyone the freedom to use these devices.
The following is a brief illustration of the principles of GPS. For more information see previous chapter. The Global positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-base navigation system that provides a user with proper equipment access to positioning information. The most commonly used approaches for GPS positioning are the Iterative Least Square (ILS) and the Kalman Filter (EKF) methods. Both of them are based on psuedorange equation:
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) has access to many traditional and non-traditional dynamic elements that provide superior capabilities to collect and monitor visual, seismic, and acoustic signatures of motorized vehicles. SIGINT is the only system that can be operational and maintainable in any type of climate and terrain, which provides an advantage over the United States’ (U.S.) adversaries. The process of obtaining the intelligence starts with the collection of any type of signal, whether it be infrared, electro-optical, or electronic. After the signals are collected, analysts encounter the tasks of cryptanalysis, transcription, traffic analysis, and translations of the enemy information systems; analyst then determine size, location, distance, and terrain features. The data is usually processed in overlays and graphic displays within the United States. End products are then populated into National databases for the use of the Intelligence Community. The increasing utilization of computers, the internet, satellites, sophisticated encryption, and cellular telephones have streamlined effective and accurate Human Intelligence (HUMINT); implementation of Signals Intelligence has became an important role to maintain superiority over adversaries.
Paisley. "The Impact of a Cyber War." Defense Tech RSS. N.p., 16 Jan. 2008. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. (Source H)
doi:10.1080/13600860902742596. Taddeo, M. (2012). The 'Standard'. Information Warfare: A Philosophical Perspective. Philosophy & Technology, 25(1), 105-120.
The U.S. army has come up with a digital warfare system called Army Battle Command System. This system can scan digital street maps, monitor enemy positions, zoom in on individual buildings through satellite imagery and download instructions from commanders. The Army Battle Command System has been but in to a hand full of Humvees in Iraq. This technology was originally designed for battlefield combat which was tanks and helicopters, but now they have found that it is much more useful for hunting rebel leaders and trailing street fighters.
Olender, Michael. “Keeping Pace with Cyber Power, Defense, and Warfare.” Journal of International and Global Studies 6.2 (2015): 55+. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
The Global Positioning System consists of three sections, 1.satellites which are orbiting the planet, 2.there are numerous control/monitoring centers here on the ground, and 3. gps receivers which are used by their owners. The satellites send down signals from orbit, which are received by GPS receivers on the ground in the air or on the water, the GPS receiver then converts this information into a location longitude, latitude and altitude along with time.