The GPS Support Center - An Introduction

Ted Driver, Stephan Hillman, William M. Brooks and Daniel L. Knezha

Abstract:	The Global Positioning System (GPS) plays a key role in the areas of force enhancement and force application across a broad spectrum of Department of Defense (DoD) missions by providing precise navigation, positioning and timing. In addition, the continuous availability of this free, all-weather, global utility has encouraged the national and international civil community to pursue large-scale integration of GPS functionality into numerous applications. The mission of ensuring that system availability and performance are within established DoD guidelines and fully meets the needs of warfighters is handled by the Space Exploitation and Force Enhancement Division, Directorate of Operations, United States Space Command (USSPACECOM/J33). On June 21, 1999 USSPACECOM/J33 created the GSC for the purpose of providing real-time support to Military GPS users worldwide. The Center is co-located with the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), 50th Space Wing, the dedicated team of Air Force professionals who exercise command and control of the GPS satellite constellation. The Center is chartered to serve as the DoDs focal point for operational issues regarding the use and exploitation of GPS. Specifically, the Center will: • Facilitate resolution of GPS service disruptions resulting from all sources • Monitor system level performance to ensure compliance with military and civil performance standards • Provide tactical support to warfighters ! Exploitation of GPS in mission planning ! Assessments of GPS mission effectiveness ! Technical Support • Serve as a single injection point for civil issues requiring USSPACECOM action The Center serves as DoDs interface with the civil community for GPS operational issues by providing direct support to the United States Coast Guard’s Navigation Center and Federal Aviation Administration’s National Operations Control Center.
Published in:	Proceedings of the IAIN World Congress and the 56th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2000) June 26 - 28, 2000 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	293 - 299
Cite this article:	Driver, Ted, Hillman, Stephan, Brooks, William M., Knezha, Daniel L., "The GPS Support Center - An Introduction," Proceedings of the IAIN World Congress and the 56th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2000), San Diego, CA, June 2000, pp. 293-299.
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