US military bringing jam resistance to GPS for warfighter

The Space Force’s multidecade push to harden GPS against jamming and spoofing threats is poised for a pivotal breakthrough in 2025. After years of costly delays, all three legs of the antijam architecture—satellites, ground control, and user equipment—are finally coming together, as reported by Air & Space Magazine.

“We’re the best in the world” in GPS accuracy and integrity, said Cordell A. DeLaPena, program executive officer for military communications and PNT, during an 29 April 2025 talk hosted by the Mitchell Institute. However, adversaries such as Russia and China have highlighted vulnerabilities in the system, with GPS signals increasingly susceptible to disruption by radio-frequency interference.

To counter this, the Space Force is rapidly deploying GPS III satellites equipped with M-code—a secure, high-power signal optimized for military users. The eighth of ten GPS III spacecraft is set to launch in May aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Two more will follow over the next 18 months. These satellites can “blast through” interference with targeted beams, and their successors, GPS III Follow-On, will bring even more powerful jamming resistance.

Progress is also underway on the long-troubled ground segment. The long-delayed Next-Generation GPS Operational Control System (OCX), developed by Raytheon, is finally nearing acceptance. DeLaPena said the system is expected to transition to operations by year’s end—a “huge milestone” after more than a decade of setbacks.

On the ground, the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) terminals are undergoing final testing, with certification expected in July 2025. These devices not only receive M-code but will soon integrate signals from allied constellations in Europe and Japan, increasing resilience and flexibility through software-defined antennas.