Government PNT Initiatives for Critical Infrastructure Resilience

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) owns and operates the Global Positioning System (GPS), which includes a civil PNT signal that critical infrastructure operations in the U.S. and around the world have relied on for decades. The U.S. government recognizes that alternative or complementary services are needed to protect PNT-dependent systems and platforms and is leading the way with guidance designed to help critical infrastructure owners and operators achieve true national resilience.   

The White House, in its February 2020 Executive Order (EO) 13905, “Strengthening National Resilience Through Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation and Timing Services,” defined the “responsible use of PNT services” as the deliberate, risk-informed use of PNT services, including their acquisition, integration, and deployment, such that disruption or manipulation of PNT services minimally affects national security, the economy, public health, and the critical functions of the federal government. The EO recognized the need for complementary PNT, and it mandated multiple actions be taken across the government.  

Fulfilling one of the directives of EO 13905, the U.S. National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) published its Foundational PNT Profile, “Applying the Cybersecurity Framework for the Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Services,” in 2021. Revised in 2023, NIST’s PNT Profile helps cybersecurity practitioners increase organizational resilience through responsible PNT use.  

A companion PNT Quick Guide supports enterprises as they implement the Foundational PNT Profile and helps personnel understand its key concepts and advocate for cybersecurity measures, including the adoption of complementary PNT.  

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through its Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has pursued multiple PNT initiatives and provided practical guidance:  

• Best Practices for Resilient PNT Supporting Critical Infrastructure 

• Resilient PNT Conformance Framework 

• Resilient PNT Reference Architecture  

• Understanding Vulnerabilities of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing 

• Time – The Invisible Utility for organizational leadership or technical/IT staff 

• Time Guidance for Network Operators, Chief Information Officers, and Chief Information Security Officers 

The DOT is the U.S. civil lead for PNT. Its 2001 report on GPS vulnerabilities stated, “the GPS system cannot serve as a sole source for position location or precision timing for certain critical applications. Public policy must ensure that safety is maintained, even in the event of loss of GPS.”  

The report concluded that “backups for positioning and precision timing are necessary for all GPS applications involving the potential for life-threatening situations or major economic or environmental impacts.”  

DOT later conducted a comprehensive study of complementary PNT technologies (including Iridium® PNT, which was highly rated), issued a PNT Strategic Plan, and has embarked on the execution of a Complementary PNT Action Plan. In August 2025, Iridium earned a Federal Government contract to provide PNT services to increase the resilience of critical infrastructure.  

• The UK announced its 10-point strategic framework for PNT in October 2023. Guidance for critical infrastructure was expanded in November 2024 when the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) unveiled the Resilient PNT Resources Portal.  

• A Resilient Best Practices document provides a three-pillar framework for PNT:  

• • Prepare for PNT disruptions. 

• • Act when PNT disruptions occur. 

• • Recover from PNT disruptions. 

• A PNT Resilience Checklist helps critical national infrastructure (CNI) entities gauge their level of resilience and identify gaps by answering just 10 questions. 

• The more in-depth Practical Guidance for Resilient PNT builds on the three pillars of resilience and provides additional actionable information.  

The EU owns and operates Galileo (a GNSS constellation) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that enhances the accuracy and reliability of Galileo and other GNSS.  

EU members have committed to a thorough evaluation of Complementary PNT (C-PNT) technologies. The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) work together on matters impacting the EU PNT ecosystem, including C-PNT.  

Similar to how NIST, DHS, and DOT have closely studied Iridium PNT in the United States and determined that it is a robust reliable source of PNT information, the European Commission included Iridium PNT in its assessment of PNT technologies.   

Satelles (acquired by Iridium in 2024) was one of six companies awarded a competitive contract by DEFIS in October 2021 to participate in a demonstration and study of alternative PNT technologies at the EC’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy.  

 Rigorous testing conducted by EC evaluators confirmed that Iridium PNT performed well in all categories and exceeded expectations for top-level performance requirements, proving once again that Iridium delivers a service with the accuracy and reliability to help ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure operations.  

Canadian Government officials often refer to U.S. government publications from NIST, DHS, and DOT when educating its critical infrastructure owners and operators about achieving resilience through responsible PNT use.  

However, in a policy fact sheet entitled “Positioning, Navigation and Timing Technologies,” the Government of Canada stated that “transitioning to non-GPS dependent solutions for PNT is essential to ensure resilience of existing and future civilian and military platforms.”  

The “Canadian Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigation Assessment Project,” led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) on behalf of the Canadian Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Board, stated that critical infrastructure sectors “rely on PNT information to improve safety and security, enable greater functionality, and increase productivity.”  

The report goes on to instruct critical infrastructure owners and operators how to identify critical PNT use, threats to critical PNT use, and the necessary risk mitigation measures; analyze risk; and evaluate results. It cites Iridium PNT as a complementary source of PNT that is commercially available today as an alternative to GPS and other GNSS. 

A PNT factsheet for critical infrastructure published by the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre within the Department of Home Affairs in November 2024 highlights the importance of PNT-dependent systems and potential vulnerabilities and outlines the steps to mitigate threats.   

The Australian document strongly recommends following NIST’s Foundational PNT Profile from the U.S (see above).