DoD to Stop Using SA-Enabled GPS Satellites

The Department of Defense announced it intends to stop procuring global positioning system (GPS) satellites with the ability to intentionally degrade the accuracy of civil signals. This capability, known as selective availability (SA), will no longer be used in the next generation of GPS satellites. "Although the US stopped the intentional degradation of GPS satellite signals by setting SA levels to zero in May 2000, this action to permanently remove SA eliminates a source of uncertainty in GPS performance that has been of concern to civil GPS users worldwide for some time," the DoD said in a statement. "While this action will not materially improve the performance of the system, it does reflect the United States' strong commitment to users by reinforcing that this global utility can be counted on to support peaceful civil applications around the globe." The decision to remove the capability from next-generation GPS satellites was approved by the president after a recommendation from DoD. The move coincides with the Air Force's solicitation to purchase the next generation of GPS satellites, known as GPS III.