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Recent Military GPS Failures Raise Questions

Many people are now dependent upon the global positioning satellite technology that powers both navigational and GPS tracking systems. However, a recent news report by the Associated Press stated that a technical glitch resulted in thousands of GPS tracking and navigational units failing for multiple days. Not only did the story expose the fact that the technology our military relies on for a variety of operations is flawed, but that the GPS technology could be susceptible to glitches.

Military GPS Satellites

Military service men and women rely on GPS technology in Iraq and Afghanistan to conduct a multitude of operations, and failures in the GPS technology can result in the lives of our brave military serve personnel. This is why when the military announced that a problem, which was blamed on software compatibility, occurred, many people began feeling a little less safe. An official close to the situation explained that essentially everything that is mobile now uses some form of GPS technology, and knowing that the location-based technology was disrupted for an extended period of time should raise serious concerns.

Currently, the military uses GPS technology for a variety of applications from monitoring military vehicles to weapon targeting. Some of these GPS systems, such as the GPS Tracking Key, are available to consumers.

The military has nearly one million GPS tracking or navigational receivers, but of that large sample size, less than 10,000 GPS systems were reportedly affected by the technical glitch.

Spokespeople for the Navy have not stated whether the glitch had any affect on soldiers working and defending the fundamentals of our freedom overseas.

Opinion:

Should we be concerned that the technological tools used by our military can be manipulated or susceptible to malfunction?

Do you believe that other countries may be taking notice of the recent GPS failures that affected our military?

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.