The Trump administration wants to bolster America’s GPS security to prevent foreign actors from threatening our national infrastructure. It should be no surprise that these moves have drawn the ire of China, and its interests are trying to subvert the administration’s efforts.
In May, Breitbart reported on how Chinese-connected companies and trade associations have been seeking to undermine the Trump administration’s goals on GPS resilience. A new report by the Bull Moose Project, “Securing America’s Future With A 5G-Based Backup To GPS,” shows this was just the tip of the iceberg, with sanctioned Chinese entities such as ZTE working with American companies to prevent 5G-based GPS backup systems from being implemented.
This revelation highlights a significant threat to American national security. GPS isn’t just a nice tool to navigate Americans to their vacation destinations. Much of our economy and security structures depend on GPS to operate. Without this system, our agricultural, banking, and transportation sectors would cease to function as they do now.
Since so much depends on this system, Trump’s FCC, led by Chairman Brandon Carr, is looking to support alternatives to ensure the country is not dependent on a single system. “Disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security. And the risks to our current system are only increasing,” Carr said back in May.
As the Washington Examiner noted, Bull Moose’s study shows that “America’s adversaries, such as China, Russia, and Iran, as well as its allies, such as the United Kingdom and South Korea, are all exploring or implementing terrestrial backups for their GPS infrastructure.”
“The Bull Moose Project’s report argues that ground-based 5G towers, which can be used to provide GPS services, are easier to repair than satellites and that individual towers can pick up the slack for another in the event of outages,” the report states.
However, powerful companies, aligned with CCP-backed interests, are trying to prevent this. As Breitbart previously reported, Dana Goward’s Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation is one of the entities working to prevent 5G back up in “coalition with some businesses that have little concern about protecting America’s interests and instead have numerous Chinese connections.”
The Bull Moose Project’s report reveals even more companies that are working to stymie American innovation in GPS technology:
Investigations by the Bull Moose Project also have revealed the Chinese links to other organizations strongly opposed to advancing an American terrestrial GPS alternative. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its various coalition members — which include the LoRa Alliance, RAIN Alliance, Security Industry Association, Wi-Sun Alliance, and Z-Wave Alliance — are just some of these groups. Many of these associations include Chinese companies, such as the ZTE Corporation, Shenzhen Makerfabs Corporation, Siterwell Electronics Co., Limited, Zhejiang Chint Electrics, Ningbo Dooya Mechanic & Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., and Taixin Semiconductor.
Overall, Bull Moose’s report found that at least two dozen companies are working to stifle the FCC’s effort to develop GPS alternatives. The study found that several of these companies have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, particularly the Z-Wave alliance.
In a statement to Breitbart, Bull Moose Project’s president Aiden Buzzetti noted, “As our report shows, America’s lack of a GPS alternative is a critical national security issue. So it’s no wonder Chinese-linked companies are barraging the FCC in an attempt to stop the development of a terrestrial alternative.”
This report further highlights the importance for the FCC to continue building on its progress to achieve GPS resiliency despite the astroturfed and China-connected opposition.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
