When GPS Goes Dark: Building a Force That Navigates from Orbit to Seabed

GPS denial is an increasing reality in modern warfare, with adversaries like China and other actors using cheap jammers and spoofers to disrupt navigation. This contested electromagnetic environment is evident in conflicts like Ukraine, where forces have resorted to less reliable fiber-optic drones because radio-frequency and GPS signals are unreliable. The U.S. joint force must adapt by developing autonomous systems that are not solely dependent on GPS, as existing alternatives have significant limitations. A resilient path forward involves software-first solutions that can detect interference and fuse data from multiple sensors to maintain navigation, making contested autonomy a baseline capability.