GPS Innovation Alliance urges Trump administration to address GPS interference

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A coalition of 14 major industry associations has called on the departments of Defense and Transportation to address increasing threats from GPS signal jamming and spoofing that are affecting civilian operations beyond traditional conflict zones.

The letter, signed by organizations including the GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), Aircraft Electronics Association, Airlines for America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, outlining concerns about GPS signal interference. The letter warns that such interference is expanding beyond military conflict zones to affect civilian transportation and commerce operations in international airspace and waters.

The coalition represents industries that collectively contribute significant portions to the U.S. economy. The aviation system accounted for 5% of U.S. GDP in 2024, totaling $1.45 trillion, while ports and maritime operations contributed $2.9 trillion, nearly 10% of GDP. GPS technology has generated more than $1.4 trillion for the U.S. economy since its introduction, with more than 6 billion GPS-enabled devices in use worldwide.

The organizations are seeking coordinated action from the Trump administration to modernize GPS infrastructure and enhance its resilience against interference. The coalition has indicated its willingness to work with federal agencies on addressing what it describes as challenges to national security, public safety and economic prosperity.

System Vulnerabilities

Despite GPS maintaining a 99.99% availability rate with no recorded outages since 1993, the system faces several challenges. On-orbit satellites operate years beyond their intended design life, ground system upgrades have been delayed, and the system lacks counter-spoofing capabilities.

The coalition emphasizes that GPS serves as a foundation for modern defense, aviation, maritime operations and commercial activities. Transportation industry officials note their sector’s role as a key partner in U.S. military logistics operations.

“GPS is one of the most important innovations of the modern era, underpinning national security, critical infrastructure such as transportation, and commerce,” said Lisa Dyer, Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance. “The Trump administration’s approach to “getting stuff done” is what this nation needs to finally achieve a modern GPS that is resilient to jamming and spoofing. The President’s leadership can also deter further harmful interference – actions that will benefit most critical industries that are delivering goods and services around the world and transporting passengers safely to their destinations.”

The GPSIA recommendations, issued independently from the letter, call for executive branch agencies to:

• Accelerate the procurement and launch of modern GPS satellites and include anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology upgrades in GPS ground systems.  Prepare a program plan that ensures GPS is technologically more advanced than China’s BeiDou and Europe’s Galileo GPS-like systems.
• Strengthen enforcement and coordination across the U.S. government to rapidly identify and respond to interference events and crack down on illegal sales and use of jamming devices.
• Streamline regulatory and certification processes to accelerate adoption of advanced technologies such as jam- and spoof-resistant antennas, modern GPS signals, and anti-spoofing signal authentication in airframes, receivers and devices.
• Deter interference through public statements and diplomatic engagement, making clear the United States will not tolerate harmful jamming and spoofing outside conflict zones that risks public safety and impedes commerce.

Read more of GPSIA’s recommendations here.

“These are concrete, achievable actions that, if pursued, will ensure the integrity, continuity, availability, and resiliency of GPS. This approach also offers the commercial position, navigation, and timing industry time to mature and deploy their technologies so that they can meet the high regulatory bar that is appropriately set for public safety applications,” Dyer said.