Benign Selective Availability (SA) Paradigms for Dual-Use GPS

Donald Latterman, Bruce Mathers, Jeffrey Malapit

Abstract:	The success of the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) has been widely reported and universally applauded. Although originally designed, procured and operated as a U.S. military system, GPS has attained the status of a true dual-use (military and civilian) utility. In fact, the very success of GPS has prompted a reevaluation of the priorities which guide the continued management of the system. Easily the most controversial aspect of system management has been the U.S. policy to apply Selective Availability (SA) to the Signal-in-Space (SIS). Several recent high level policy analyses have concluded that SA no longer fuhills the purpose for which it was originally intended and that continued application of SA now poses more detriments than benefits to U.S. national interests. These recent policy analyses, however, have been limited to a very narrow tactical view of SA. This paper documents a Department of Defense (DOD) internal analysis conducted with a broader strategic view of SA. The results summarized herein overwhelmingly point towards a long-term need for SA to be continuously applied in a “benign” manner during peacetime. This, in turn, leads to a munber of important paradigms which contradict many widely-believed assumptions regarding SA’s value. The paper then shows that these “benign SA” paradigms are consistent with current U.S. policies regarding GPS and that they provide the framework for operating SA throughout the foreseeable future to simultaneously support DOD requirements to safeguard national security while minimizing the dissatisfaction of peaceful civil users around the world. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to peaceful civil users on steps they can take to minimize their dissatisfaction under these “benign SA” paradigms.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1996 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 1996 Loews Santa Monica Hotel Santa Monica, CA
Pages:	91 - 105
Cite this article:	Latterman, Donald, Mathers, Bruce, Malapit, Jeffrey, "Benign Selective Availability (SA) Paradigms for Dual-Use GPS," Proceedings of the 1996 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Santa Monica, CA, January 1996, pp. 91-105.
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