DHS S&T publishes Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Reference Architecture document

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) personnel are espousing the benefits of the agency publishing the Resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Reference Architecture document.

The document incorporates modern cybersecurity principles to provide concepts and examples for building Next Generation Resilient PNT systems against current and future threats.

“The Resilient PNT Reference Architecture is a major milestone in advancing S&T’s cybersecurity-based approach to PNT resilience,” Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science & Technology Kathryn Coulter Mitchell said. “PNT services, such as the Global Positioning System we may use every day in our cars, are a national critical function that enable many applications within critical infrastructure sectors.”

For example, Mitchell said timing information from GPS plays a critical role in telecommunications and is used for network synchronization while also being utilized for certain protective functions in the power grid.

Per DHS S&T, the document offers a vision for a holistic approach to Next Generation Resilient PNT systems. The application of the concepts and techniques can produce resilient PNT equipment to address current and future PNT threats while strengthening critical infrastructure.

“Building resilient systems requires recognizing that even the best of defenses may eventually be defeated by constantly evolving threats,” S&T Technical Manager Ernest Wong said. “By applying cybersecurity principles like Zero Trust Architectures to PNT, we can design resilient PNT systems that can continue to function properly even under the assumption of compromise.”