Milestone for the Joint Navigation Conference (JNC)

2027 Marks the JNC's 50th Conference

The 2027 Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) will be its 50th conference. The idea of creating a forum for advanced positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) discussions originated at Newark Air Force Station's Aerospace, Guidance, and Metrology Center (AGMC) in 1966. At that time, the AGMC held nine forums to exchange information on maintenance, reliability, and improvements in guidance and navigation systems.

In 1969, with the approval of the Joint Material Commanders Secretariat, the Joint Services Data Exchange (JSDE) for Inertial Systems was created to provide a forum to perpetuate the cooperative exchange of information pertaining to the design, development, operation, and maintenance of inertial guidance and navigation systems.

A planning meeting was held in May 1969, and the first JSDE-organized conference took place in October of that year at the AGMC in Newark, Ohio. AGMC Brig. Gen. R. E. Hails delivered the opening address, outlining the goals for the JSDE.

During 1970-1971, the membership was expanded to include related defense industry and commercial airlines. Attention and interest also grew throughout the Department of Defense (DoD), including the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, the Department of the Navy Engineering Centers, the Navy and Army Weapon Centers, NASA, and NATO.

The AGMC was then the permanent secretary for the group, with representation from the Air Force, Army, Navy, airlines, the Defense Supply Agency, and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, which represented industry sector interests. The group met three months prior to each conference to review and select proposed papers and prepare the conference program.

In the late 1980s, the JSDE became a self-sufficient, tax-exempt organization managed by an executive committee consisting of representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Draper. The conferences were held biennially, with the responsibility for organizing and chairing the conference rotating among the three military services. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was first represented in 2009, and additional representatives from various Federally Funded Research and Development Centers have been represented throughout the years.

The first jointly sponsored JSDE/Institute of Navigation (ION) JNC was held in 2009. With its success, the JSDE Board agreed to become ION's Military Division, and the JSDE organization was dissolved. The ION Military Division has hosted all JNCs since then.

The 2027 JNC will be the fiftieth conference to continue the work originally inspired by the Aerospace, Guidance, and Metrology Center to have a forum perpetuating the cooperative exchange of information pertaining to the design, development, operation, and maintenance of inertial guidance and navigation systems.

Congratulations to the Institute of Navigation and the former JSDE membership on reaching this impressive milestone!