The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is requesting information for a National Research and Development Plan for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Resilience.
The OSTP request comes months after a similar request from the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for information about the use and cybersecurity management of PNT services, which are critical to the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) networks that the United States manages for use across the globe.
“How will PNT services be used over the next ten years?” the White House office asks in its request. The National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on Resilience Science and Technology (SRST) is crafting the plan for research and development (R&D) for additional PNT systems and services that are not dependent upon global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The office listed a half dozen or more questions relating to the R&D of PNT services in its request.
“It is imperative that our GPS and PNT systems be fully secure and able to withstand cyber incursions,” said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, at the time of the NIST request in May.
OSTP requests comments by September 9, 2020.
