How China can use GPS against us — a disaster waiting to happen



China has developed multiple ways to avoid using a global positioning system — if it needs to — in the event it launches an attack on the West's systems.

Using a combination of Cold War-era technology and advanced GPS methodology, China — in conjunction with other American adversaries — has insulated itself from attacks on its systems in order to achieve an operational edge for its most crucial technologies.

'The United States and a lot of our Western allies are kind of uniquely vulnerable right now.'

GPS provides the required background for telecommunications networks, electric grids, banking systems, and also mass transport. In addition, it guides precision munitions and military equipment, while providing conventional navigation for the average person in their car or smartphone.

Aiden Buzzetti, president of the pro-America nonprofit Bull Moose Project, told Return in an exclusive interview that the United States is out in the open in terms of a potential GPS-related attack.

"We know that the Russians jam GPS ... in the Baltics, the commercial flights in Sweden and Finland, and that general region will run into issues because of GPS interference by the Russians," Buzzetti told Return. "The North Koreans do it, too. Basically all of the the main adversaries of the United States in some way or another practice GPS jamming. Whether it's Iran going after bases ... it's a pretty consistent theme across the board."

Because of this ongoing threat, China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia have all built a layer of protection surrounding their use of GPS.

"The United States and a lot of our Western allies are kind of uniquely vulnerable right now," Buzzetti explained. "We rely a lot on the satellite signals, but in their own countries, they've been using some older technologies, some Cold War-era technologies and then newer terrestrial technologies to make sure that they're not vulnerable to the same kind of attacks that we are."

The technology Buzzetti is referring to ranges from unique and seemingly outdated to complex and futuristic.

RELATED: America doesn’t need to copy the Chinese. We need to beat them.

Your browser does not support the video tag. Aiden Buzzetti, president of the Bull Moose Project

In a report about securing the U.S. 5G network and GPS infrastructure, Bull Moose wrote that enemies of the state have been hard at work "future-proofing" their positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities.

The same countries have engaged in "navigation warfare," the document alleges, but have continuously implemented the following systems to give themselves a decisive strategic edge in electronic warfare:

Loran-C radio navigation network

This radio navigation system, first implemented in the 1950s, uses a receiver to determine its position by listening to low-frequency radio signals transmitted by radio beacons.

Operating at 100 kHz, China has continued its ongoing usage and integrated its systems with South Korea's and Russia's to create the regional Far East Radio Navigation Service, established in 1989.

Simply put, Loran-C is an old radio system that ships and planes use to calculate distance through the help of signals from radio towers.

Inertial navigation systems/quantum positioning

These systems use motion sensor and a computer to continuously calculate position based off a previously determined fixed point. In quantum positioning for example, gyroscopes and accelerometers are used to determine velocity and orientation without the use of external signals, unlike a GPS.

Gyroscopes measure angular velocity, while an accelerator measures the proper acceleration of an object, meaning how fast an object is speeding up or slowing down.

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A cell tower for 5G network among buildings is pictured on January 1, 2021 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images

LEO satellites

In addition to these methods, China has significantly increased its use of low-Earth orbit satellites, launching dozens at a time as recently as this summer, along with launches dating back to 2024.

The result is now a network of LEO satellites that provides faster communication (internet), surveillance capabilities, and support for GPS systems that are much harder to jam than medium Earth orbit GPS signals.

Essentially, they could be considered China's version of Starlink.

"China is ensuring that no single point of failure can knock out its navigation capabilities," Buzzetti said, adding that if the United States does not work to shore up its systems, it could be vulnerable to attacks that take down entire categories of essential infrastructure. Because China has been diligent in ensuring it does not rely on GPS, he suggested, the United States should re-examine the companies that lobby and work within the United States on communications projects and, where necessary, abandon them.

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America doesn’t need to copy the Chinese. We need to beat them.



The United States invented GPS. But under Joe Biden, we ceded our leadership in critical technologies to China — and opened the door to disaster. With President Trump back in charge, we have a chance to correct course and secure the future of our economy and national defense.

GPS powers everything. From military operations to farmers in the field, from ATMs to Amazon delivery, satellite-based positioning underpins modern life. But the system has one glaring weakness: no backup. One solar flare, one jammed signal, one cyberattack could knock it out — and take everything with it. Microseconds of disruption could halt supply chains, stall air traffic, and put American lives at risk.

In his first term, Trump leapfrogged China in 5G development. Now we must do it again — with GPS.

The Chinese Communist Party knows it.

While Washington slept, China built a terrestrial backup to GPS — an old-school solution using low-frequency signals and bulky infrastructure, rooted in World War II-era tech. It’s not flashy. But it’s functional. And today, it gives Beijing an edge.

America now faces a choice: Copy China’s playbook — or leap ahead.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr (R) laid out the stakes in a recent Fox News interview with Maria Bartiromo. “During the Biden years, we fell deeply behind China,” Carr said. “The good news is we have the playbook. President Trump came in his first term and said we must lead the world in 5G. We did exactly that. ... This Trump administration is going to step up again.”

Carr is right. We’ve seen this before. In his first term, Trump leapfrogged China in 5G development. Now we must do it again — with GPS.

That starts with backing a 5G-based backup for GPS. Unlike China’s clunky eLoran system, a 5G-based solution reflects American innovation. It uses ground-based infrastructure and existing networks to deliver a wide-scale, secure, and reliable alternative to GPS — without costing taxpayers a dime. Private industry could roll it out before the end of Trump’s term.

In other words: It’s shovel-ready, future-proof, and 100% Made in America.

Not everyone wants that. Some voices in the policy debate are pushing China’s model instead. And they’re not just misguided — they’re compromised.

As Breitbart recently reported, a coalition of anti-Trump interests and China-linked entities has tried to stall U.S. progress on GPS backup technology. One group, the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, consistently attacks 5G solutions. Unsurprisingly, the group's founding members include UrsaNav — the very firm that helped build China and Russia’s eLoran networks.

RELATED: From Wuhan to Michigan: Feds nab ANOTHER Chinese scholar in alleged bio-material smuggling plot

erhui1979 via iStock/Getty Images

These aren’t just competing policy proposals. They’re coordinated efforts to keep America vulnerable.

We didn’t win the Cold War by patching up the telegraph. We invented the internet. We didn’t defend our skies with rebuilt biplanes. We created stealth bombers and drones. The same principle applies here. This isn’t about replicating China’s last move. It’s about defining what comes next.

And we’ve already started.

Carr and the FCC have launched a formal proceeding to explore “positioning, navigation, and timing” alternatives. That builds on President Trump’s first-term legacy, when he signed bipartisan legislation to strengthen GPS resilience. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called it “crucial to the national and economic security of the United States.”

That leadership set the standard. Now we must finish the job.

We face a clear choice. One path copies the Chinese Communist Party and locks us into outdated infrastructure. The other unleashes American ingenuity and secures our future through private-sector innovation and Trump-era vision.

Let’s not backtrack. Let’s build forward. Let’s lead again.

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