Billions of people depend on GPS daily to find their way around.
Yet, as most drivers have experienced, GPS is not always reliable and can send you down the wrong path.
Something similar is happening in Russia.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, many Russian cities have experienced widespread GPS disruption.
You see, Ukraine has been conducting long-range drone attacks on Russia.
So, Russian authorities have disrupted GPS satellites to stop drone operations that use GPS for navigation.
One person said, “What we’re seeing now is GPS jamming bubbles covering hundreds if not thousands of kilometers around tactical cities.”
Russia has long disrupted GPS signals around Moscow as a way of control. But lately, disruptions have been seen in Russian cities close to Ukraine.
Now, the most common way to disrupt GPS is by jamming or spoofing the signals.
Jamming is when the GPS signals are overridden so they don’t work as they are supposed to.
Jamming will stop drones and prevent smartphone apps from working.
Throughout Russia’s invasion, both sides have tried to control commutations.
And electronic warfare, such as jamming and blocking GPS signals has been a big part of the war.
There is a well-documented history of Russia disrupting GPS to throw off navigation for drones, ships, and airplanes.
Most notably, the GPS disruptions occur wherever Vladimir Putin travels.
In 2019 alone, there were over 9,000 instances of GPS disruption linked to Russia.
In December 2022, Ukraine carried out drone attacks against Russian territories.
In response, Russia deployed military trucks equipped with antennas that move around and interfere with GPS signals.
For too long Russia underestimated the long-range strike capabilities of Ukraine.
So, they have been forced to take a defensive approach to prevent attacks using GPS navigation.
The bottom line is, our world, from the military to everyday citizens, depends on GPS for many things.
Because of that, here are a few things that may occur if GPS failed in our everyday lives.
Traffic everywhere:
Most people use some form of GPS to get from point A to B. Society is extremely dependent on it for traveling.
A lot of people don’t even carry a paper map in their car.
So, if GPS failed it would create gridlock in big cities. People would be lost and forced to stick to the main roads that they are familiar with.
During a disaster, this would be multiplied and make travel or evacuation brutal due to clogged roads.
This is why you should prepare to bug out without GPS. Be sure you have a map of the area you live in, and an atlas of the entire U.S. if possible.
On the map, make sure you plan multiple routes in and out of your town or city, or even your state.
And if you have a bug out location, plan more than one route in and out.
Emergency services:
If you have ever been in a car accident or called 911 for an emergency, then you know they use GPS.
Oftentimes, 911 dispatchers can use GPS to pinpoint the location of the cell phone.
This can assist dispatchers with getting help to those who don’t know where they are or can’t communicate.
If GPS failed, emergency services would be slowed down.
Keep in mind that first responders have computers in their vehicles and use GPS to assist them with mapping and finding locations.
Not only would it take longer for dispatchers to find you but responding officers would take longer since they won’t be able to use their computer GPS.
Supply chain:
Since the pandemic, we are all aware of how supply chain disruptions can affect everyday goods and services.
A GPS failure would cause massive supply chain issues because it would lead to backups at ports.
Ships and cranes need GPS. The logistic systems at ports would come to a halt if GPS failed.
Supply times would be longer and inaccurate.
And a widespread GPS failure could disrupt many industries from shipping to manufacturing.
The longer the GPS failure lasted the worse it would be.
There is no doubt that GPS plays a huge role in our lives.
As you go about your normal day, consider all the ways you have used GPS, or devices leveraging GPS.
Then, think about what you would do if GPS went down, or disappeared.
Remember, a simple map and compass is the minimum that you should have in your car and bug out bag.
These tools can help you get to where you need to go in the event GPS is unavailable.
