ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 1, 1996 TAG: 9602010052
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Hearst Newspapers
The growing popularity of a high-tech compass, developed by the Pentagon but now widely used by civilians, could pose a serious threat for the U.S. military, a leading national security firm said Wednesday.
A hand-held version of the compass that looks like a cellular telephone is used by hikers and is available for less than $200.
Ten years ago, the compass, part of a package called the Global Positioning System, was the exclusive domain of the military. Now, civilian sales of GPS units total $1 billion and are expected to reach $8.5 billion by the year 2000.
The worry, according to RAND, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based think tank, is that hostile forces might use the readily available navigational aid to make their weapons more accurate.
RAND analysts said in a new report that the accuracy of Scud missiles used by Iraq against Israel and Saudi Arabia in the 1991 Persian Gulf War could be improved up to 25 percent by using GPS.
Even more troubling, the pinpoint GPS system could be used to enhance the accuracy of terrain-hugging cruise missiles carrying chemical and biological weapons, according to Scott Pace, the report's chief author. The RAND study was prepared for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
To prevent enemy forces from using GPS to help zero-in weapons against the United States and its allies, the report recommended the Pentagon improve its electronic jamming systems.
The navigation system, operated by the U.S. Air Force, relies on 24 satellites that broadcast precise time signals to receivers around the world. Using the time signal and its origin, the receiver is able to calculate its location to within about 60 feet. As a security feature, the system can alter the times that it broadcasts to civilian receivers, making them accurate only to within about 300 feet.
The GPS has become essential for the military, with the Army purchasing nearly 15,000 GPS units each year for the last few years.
``Our armed forces realize [GPS] is crucial.'' Pace said. ``They've bought these systems. They are using these systems.''
In fact, the U.S. military asked GPS suppliers to rush 10,000 units to American forces in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. Today, some soldiers are carrying their own GPS receivers with them in Bosnia.
Pace said such heavy reliance on commercial GPS does not pose special problems ``as long we're operating in a low-threat environment ... as long as Saddam Hussein does not have jamming equipment.''
But he added that ``as people realize more and more how important GPS is to U.S. armed forces, someone will try to work on jamming.''
To counter that threat, the study's authors urged the Pentagon to shift away from the devices civilians use and toward more sophisticated, jam-resistant versions.
To discourage international competition and ensure that the U.S. satellite system retains its global role, the RAND study also said the U.S. government should continue to pay for the system, even as its use worldwide increases.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB