GPS directly produces several tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the United States yearly. Indirectly, it produces many times this amount, so the economic implications are tremendous. This kind of dependence on global utilities continues to grow. We must develop a security system to ensure continued operation of these critical global utilities. Doctors depend on communications satellites to tell them if a patient is sick or if a donor organ is ready.
Meteorologists rely on weather images from space.
Banking and investing organizations count on real-time quotes and instantaneous transactions provided by satellites. War fighters, airline pilots, and others depend on GPS to tell them where they are and what time it is. Missiles rely on targeting information provided by satellites. These end users could find themselves without service due to an attack, and a lack of such service could result in casualties, political instability, or a risk to security. Many, if not most, current global utilities, such as GPS and the Internet, with its global communications links, arose from DOD and US Air Force developments.