Resolution of the between Congressional Republicans and Democrats that threatened a shutdown of the federal government has clarified the picture for military GPS programs in the coming year, although prospects for the civil side remain uncertain.
On April 15, 2011, President Obama signed the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (H.R. 1473, Public Law 112-10), the last in a series of government-wide funding measures for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11).
Resolution of the between Congressional Republicans and Democrats that threatened a shutdown of the federal government has clarified the picture for military GPS programs in the coming year, although prospects for the civil side remain uncertain.
On April 15, 2011, President Obama signed the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (H.R. 1473, Public Law 112-10), the last in a series of government-wide funding measures for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11).
The final act fully funded all GPS program items in the defense budget, a total of $1.032 billion, except for $25 million cut from the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX) request.
The act reduced funding for FAA Facilities and Equipment by $233.8 million compared to the request, but it remains unclear whether the cuts will affect the civil GPS funds to support modernization, the Wide Area Augmentation System, and Ground-Based Augmentation System funding lines, which are part of that account. Section 1119 of the H. R. 1473 imposed a 0.2 percent rescission (cut) across all non-military programs, on top of any specific reductions spelled out in the budget measure.
The measure does include $40.9 million to continue work on the Navy’s High-Integrity GPSA (HIGPS, also known as iGPS) program, which is intended to demonstrate the capability to use Iridium satellites to enhance GPS navigation for military users. <https://www.insidegnss.com/node/745>
Earlier this year, President Obama submitted an FY12 defense budget proposal with $1.46 billion for procurement and development of the Global Positioning System, including:
· $17.89 million for GPS IIF and Operational Control Segment (OCS) development
· $463.08 million for GPS IIIA satellite development
· $390.89 million for the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX) development
· $515.34 million for procurement of two GPS IIIA satellites
· $67.69 million for procurement of GPS IIF satellites and launch support
· $7.6 million for ground segment equipment procurement
The FY12 request has no provision for funding HIGPS.
Department of Transportation GPS funding includeds:
· $50.3 million for the addition of new, civil-unique capabilities to the GPS program
· $125.5 million for WAAS
· $13.5 million for GBAS
· $7.6 million for the inland component of the Nationwide Differential GPS (NDGPS) system
The Department of Homeland Security would also receive $9.7 million for the maritime component of NDGPS.
