PNT Services Resilience (E.O. 13905)

Summary

Makes sure important national systems can keep working even if location and timing services, like GPS, are broken or attacked.

What problem does this solve?

The country's most important systems, like the power grid and transportation, heavily rely on location and timing services (PNT) which can be easily disrupted. This order creates a plan to find weaknesses, develop safer PNT use guidelines, and encourage new, more secure PNT technologies.

What does this order do?

Creates PNT profiles to manage risk

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to create 'PNT profiles,' which are guides to help government and private industry understand their dependence on PNT services and manage the risks of disruption.

Tests critical infrastructure for weaknesses

Requires the Department of Homeland Security to create a plan for testing how well critical systems can handle PNT service outages or attacks.

Promotes development of GPS alternatives

Orders the development of a national plan to research and test new PNT services that are not dependent on space-based systems like GPS, making the nation's infrastructure more secure.

Updates federal contract requirements

Mandates that new government contracts for products and services using PNT must include language that encourages the use of more secure and robust systems.

Provides a backup time source

Requires the Secretary of Commerce to make a source of Coordinated Universal Time available that does not depend on GPS, giving critical infrastructure a reliable backup.

Who does this affect?

Critical infrastructure operators
Federal government contractors
Technology and defense companies

What is the real world impact?

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Protects essential services from attack or failure

Creates a national strategy to ensure that vital services like electricity, communications, and transportation can survive a disruption of GPS and similar technologies, which are vulnerable to being jammed or spoofed.

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Spurs development of new technology

Encourages research and development of new, more secure positioning, navigation, and timing technologies that do not rely on space-based systems like GPS. This could create opportunities for American tech and defense companies.

When does this start?

This order sets several deadlines for federal agencies to complete specific tasks over the next few years.

Develop contract language

Within 90 days (by May 12, 2020), federal agencies must develop language for contracts to encourage the use of secure PNT services.

Provide independent time source

Within 180 days (by August 10, 2020), the Secretary of Commerce must make available a time source that is independent of GPS.

Develop PNT profiles

Within 1 year (by February 12, 2021), the Secretary of Commerce must develop and release PNT profiles to help manage risks.

Create vulnerability testing plan

Within 1 year (by February 12, 2021), the Secretary of Homeland Security must develop a plan to test critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.

Develop R&D plan for GPS alternatives

Within 1 year (by February 12, 2021), the Office of Science and Technology Policy must create a national plan for developing PNT services not reliant on GPS.

Report on PNT profile adoption

Starting 1 year after PNT profiles are available, federal agencies must report every two years on how widely the profiles have been adopted.