Transportation pledges to secure Global Positioning System

  • Global Security Newswire
  • March 8, 2002
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The Transportation Department will implement an action plan to secure the Global Positioning System, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced Thursday. Emergency teams responding to an attack with weapons of mass destruction would use the system, which supports U.S. transportation infrastructure.

The department's decision followed a September report by the Volpe National Transportation System Center that determined GPS is vulnerable to unintentional and intentional disruptions. The report offered several recommendations, and the department has concurred with all of them, according to a Transportation press release.

"The action plan we are announcing today will ensure that the vulnerabilities identified in the report do not affect the safety and security of our transportation system as we work to ensure that GPS fulfills its potential as a key element of the nation's transportation infrastructure," Mineta said.

The department's action plan includes steps to maintain backup systems for GPS, work with the Defense Department to apply anti-jamming technology and educate state and local departments about GPS vulnerabilities.

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