Trump directs U.S. government agencies to protect critical infrastructure that relies on GPS

President Trump signed an executive order that calls for a government-wide effort to improve the security and resilience of services that depend on the Global Positioning System for positioning, navigation and timing. The executive order signed Feb. 12 is titled “Strengthening National Resilience Through Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation and Timing Services.” A senior White House official told reporters that the executive order “serves to highlight how important this utility has become to the functioning of the nation’s critical infrastructure.” The document directs the executive branch departments and agencies to adopt guidelines for how to manage the risk of disruption to critical infrastructure that they rely on GPS services. GPS users receive signals from satellites placed into orbit by the Department of Defense. A constellation of about 31 satellites orbit the Earth.