After 16 years and $8 billion, the military's new GPS software still doesn't work

Key Points:

• The US Space Force took ownership of the GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX) last year, intended to command and control the military’s GPS III satellite constellation, but the ground system remains nonoperational nine months later.
• Originally contracted to RTX Corporation in 2010 with a $3.7 billion budget and 2016 completion date, the OCX program has ballooned to $7.6 billion, with an additional $400 million planned for an augmentation supporting GPS IIIF satellites.
• Testing after the handover revealed extensive unresolved system issues, leading Pentagon officials to consider canceling OCX due to persistent technical challenges, schedule delays, and cost overruns spanning over 15 years.
• In response to OCX delays, the military upgraded its legacy GPS control system to enable partial use of new military-grade M-code signals, which provide enhanced resistance to jamming and spoofing crucial for operations in conflict zones.
• The Government Accountability Office attributed OCX’s failures to poor acquisition decisions, inadequate software expertise, and contractor and government engineering problems, prompting ongoing evaluation of alternative modernization paths.