New Executive Order Aims to Support Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services Used by Critical Infrastructure

Noting that the national and economic security of the U.S. depends on the reliable and efficient functioning of critical infrastructure, yesterday President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) emphasizing the importance of accurate and reliable Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services and identifying measures to promote their resilience. Titled “Strengthening National Resilience through Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services,” the EO seeks to promote resilience by assigning to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) the responsibility of developing profiles – tailored to specific critical infrastructure sectors – that inform the responsible use of PNT services, mandating that the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council incorporate the profiles into federal contracts, and directing several federal departments to demonstrate the responsible use of PNT services and profiles through pilot programs. One of the primary applications of PNT services is Global Positioning Navigation (GPS), which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advises could be a vector for activities against critical infrastructure sectors if the signals supporting systems and devices are disrupted or manipulated. DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been working with government and industry partners to address the risks of potential threats to PNT services. A CISA PNT webpage provides an overview of these services and resources regarding the proper use of GPS receives and security recommendations for systems that use GPS. Read the EO at The White House.