CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar-GPS satellite technology, which enables location and navigation products for civilians and military alike, plays an important part in the war in Iraq-most notable is its role in directing precision guided weapons to their targets.
Fears that the enemy could block that capability were calmed today, with the announcement that six satellite jamming devices potentially capable of throwing those precision guided weapons off course, were found and destroyed by the U.S.
“We have noticed some attempts by the Iraqis to use a GPS jamming system that they obtained from another nation,” said Air Force Major General Victor Renuart, in a briefing in Qatar on Tuesday. “We have destroyed all six of those jammers in the last two nights’ airstrikes. I’m pleased to say they had no effect on us.”
Because GPS transmissions were designed to be extremely weak so signals wouldn’t interfere with other forms of broadcast, they are relatively easy to jam. The satellite-based technology originally included a feature that allowed the military to turn on a more accurate signal, but it seems unlikely it would be turned on now because civilian products-including those used by the military-would be adversely affected.
