The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) has signed the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Transition Support Plan, formally accepting the MGUE Increment 1 and 2 programs from the U.S. Space Force. The agreement finalizes the Air Force’s full ownership of the two navigation modernization efforts, centralizing their development and fielding under the M-Code Aviation Receivers (MAR) Joint Program Office.
A Multi-Year Realignment
The transfer is the culmination of a process that began Nov. 25, 2024, with the establishment of the MAR Joint Program Office to improve oversight and promote more efficient integration of PNT capability across the services. The Air Force and Space Force service acquisition executives approved a formal transfer plan on April 9, 2025, and acquisition authority for the MGUE programs moved to the Air Force on Dec. 1, 2025. An Air Force materiel leader took over responsibility for the programs at Los Angeles Air Force Base on Jan. 15, with the transfer itself completed under a transition support plan signed by then-AFLCMC commander Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton.
Throughout the handoff, the Space Force provided technical engineering expertise, administrative documentation, and personnel support intended to keep the transition from disrupting ongoing operations. Going forward, the Air Force will execute the MGUE programs as part of the broader GPS enterprise, while the Space Force retains responsibility for the ground and space segments — with both services describing plans to continue coordinating to preserve the integrity of the overall GPS enterprise.
“This means the M-Code Aviation Receivers Joint Program Office can take a life-cycle approach to developing and fielding GPS capability, ultimately making our forces more lethal on the battlefield,” said 1st Lt. Milton Bugg, MGUE Increment 2 program manager.
2nd Lt. Brookelyn Anderson, MGUE Increment 1 project manager at AFLCMC’s Electronic Systems Directorate, said the transfer more closely ties technology development to fielding PNT solutions for the joint warfighter.
What MGUE Delivers
MGUE Increment 1 and 2 represent significant upgrades to military GPS user equipment, intended to give warfighters more secure, accurate, and resilient PNT capability. Both increments feature advanced anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology aimed at improving receiver performance in contested environments.
Consolidating the programs under the MAR Joint Program Office, officials say, is meant to help the Department of Defense better manage cost, schedule, performance, and risk while improving fielding and sustainment of the equipment.
