Three UN agencies have called for action to halt jamming and spoofing operations, which are most often associated with nation-state activity in the Baltic, Black Sea, Strait of Hormuz, South China Sea and Western Pacific.
In a joint statement, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and International Maritime Organization (IMO) expressed "grave concern" about the impact of jamming and called on unnamed UN member states to "urgently enhance their protection of a critical radio-frequency band."
The jamming occurs in assigned frequency bands used by radio navigation satellite services, like GPS and Galileo. Previous research in the Baltic has documented that some observed jamming capabilities exceed commercial grade equipment, and can fool ship GNSS receivers into delivering inaccurate position readings - inaccurate enough to cause a casualty if the false reading went undetected by the crew. At least one accident, the grounding of the Meghna Princess in the Baltic last year, has been attributed to GPS jamming.
"The safety of seafarers and shipping relies on the resilience of systems to support safe navigation and communication. Interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems poses a serious risk to shipping activities, which could cause collisions and grounding. I urge all Member States to act to protect these critical systems," said IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez.
IMO Maritime Safety Committee has previously urged member states to "minimize interference coming from their territory," or at least issue warning notices to shipping about any planned time periods and areas affected by "known interferences."
Satellite signal jamming also affects airborne navigation, often at different times and locations than surface-level GNSS jamming, indicating different settings, techniques or equipment for high-altitude effects.
Some of the most effective sources of intentional interference may be space-based, according to Professor Todd Humphreys of the University of Texas. Chinese and Russian satellite-based electronic warfare systems may be able to imitate GPS and Galileo from orbit, creating disruption by sending false signals when desired, he said at a panel last year.
source: www.maritime-executive.com
