Tuesday, May 19, 2009

GPS System Left To Age into Failure By Lack Of Reinvestment

Network of GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as 2010 - another legacy of the Bush presidency operating under the conservative philosophy of governance; Government can never provide for the common good of its citizens, so why make the effort to make it work? Better to just cut taxes and hope someone else will take care of it!

It has become one of the staples of modern, hi-tech life and warfare: using satellite navigation tools built into cars, mobile phones and the military's smart bombs. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year. The report says that Air Force officials [which includes the chain of command up to President Bush] have failed to execute the necessary reinvestment planning to replace 20-year-old GPS satellites as they reach the end of their expected service live.
"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," said the report, presented to Congress. "If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected."
Russia, India and China are deploying satellite navigation systems that could surpass the U.S. system as the commercial standard for GPS devices. So, under the conservative philosophy of governance that dictates - it's better to just cut taxes and hope someone else will take care of it - turns out Russia, India and China is that someone else! And that's good for National Security?
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