At WSTS 2023, Nino De Falcis discussed threats to critical PNT architectures and the operational risks that cyberattacks pose. His presentation revealed best practices for synchronizing mission-critical defense infrastructure with secure, resilient and assured PNT (aPNT) capabilities.

1. Best practices in
solving PNT threats
in critical defense
communications
infrastructure
3/14/23 | 11:55-11:10a (15 min) | Nino De Falcis, director, sync business development, Americas, Oscilloquartz, Adtran
WSTS, March 13-16, Vancouver, BC

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• PNT stands for Positioning, Navigation & Timing. Timing enables P & N
• Protect defense/industry critical infrastructure (CI) against PNT services disruption from frequent
GPS & network timing attacks – GPS, commercial or M-Code, is a single point of failure & can no
longer be considered as a sole source for reliable PNT services in CI
• Deploy resilient, multisource and assured PNT systems
• Target critical infrastructure sectors under national security threats
• Use published resilient PNT guidelines & standard in progress
• DHS Resilient PNT Conformance Framework
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework for PNT Profile
• IEEE P1952 Resilient PNT for User Equipment Standard working group
DRIVEN BY US FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 13905
The new resilient PNT mandate & standard
Power grids Finance Transportation
DoD
Communications
DoD Data centers

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Why GPS alternatives are a high priority?
Sen. King Urges Top General to Make GPS
Alternatives a “High Priority”
LI post by Dana A. Goward, March 10, 2023
Senator Video
King says:
• “I believe GPS will be one of the first
targets in a conflict”
• “Are we developing alternatives to space-
based resources?”
General James H. Dickenson, Commander
of US Space Command, confirmed:
• “…I know there's efforts underway…
looking to alternative PNT and how we
can develop those types of capabilities.”

4. C5ISR - Command, Control, Communications, Computers,
Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance
DISA/DISN
Army
Air Force
Navy
Space Force
C5ISR
land
sea
air
Data Centers
space
The current C5ISR infrastructure supports the Army’s combat capabilities with reliable & real-time
information for tactical battlefield decisions. Secure, resilient & synchronized datacomms support critical land,
sea, air & space missions
network
Centralized

5. JADC2 - Joint All-Domain Command & Control
DoD/DISN
Army
Air Force
Navy
Space Force
land
sea
air
Neural Data
Centers
space
The next-gen JADC2 is an AI-powered unified network, connecting sensors & weapons from all branches of the
armed forces. Tactical networks will utilize 5G ORAN capabilities for ubiquitous high-speed connectivity, to move
massive data to connect distant sensors into a dense & resilient battlefield network. Low-latency & synchronized
datacomms will enable next-gen connected unmanned/autonomous weapons systems across all domains
network
Decentralized
• National/Core
• Regional
• Local
• Edge & Mobile
C5ISR
JADC2
AI-Powered
5G
5G 5G
5G
5G
5G

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UNDER REVIEW
What are the PNT threats & GPS vulnerabilities?
jamming
environmental
satellite
attacks
adjacent-band transmitters
spoofing
External GPS/GNSS level
RARE
PNT threats
COMMON
GPS/GNSS
degradation
causes
sat ground
station
space
debris
Figure 4.1 – Known GPS vulnerabilities to telecom (updated)
RARE
Cyberattacks
Internal network level
COMMON
NTP
PTP
/ /
client clock
boundary
clock
network
interference
GPS/GNSS
receiver

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Are GPS/PNT threats real?
Oct 27, 2022
Jan 21, 2022
Disruption “lasted for 33.5 hours. Wireline and cellular
providers had timing backup systems and were unaffected.
A radio system with no backups suffered, as did a simulcast
radio system that used rubidium backup clocks”
March 19, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
March 1, 2023

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TaaS+GBaaS solution for DoD’s zero-trust PNT strategy for all-domain branches
New PNT requirements
• DoD zero-trust strategy “never
trust, always verify”
• GPS cannot be a single point of
failure in critical PNT services
• Secure, resilient & assured PNT
with six 9’s reliability
• DHS Resilient PNT guideline
specifies the use of multiple
sources vs. user’s risk profile
• PNT capability with end-to-end
defense-in-depth
resiliency
Next-gen PNT applications
• Resilient & assured PNT for all combat domains (land, sea, air, space)
• Secure & synchronized multidomain tactical datacomms network
• Accurate timing for real-time DISN/C5ISR information network
• Synchronized JADC2 network powered with AI, 5G & neural DCs
• Precise timing for connected weapons/radars (event trigger/timestamp)
Resilient & assured PNT solution
• GPS TaaS+GBaaS (Time-as-a-Service + GPS-Backup-as-a-Service)
MIL network timing requirements, applications and solutions
• GPS/M-Code
• LEO PNT
• Sat surveillance
Next-gen JADC2 unified battlefield network

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ITU-T standard-based GPS TaaS+GBaaS solutions
PRTC (G.8272 A/B)
frequency + phase
GPS (or Mcode)
Grandmaster time server
PRTC A accuracy: 100ns | PRTC B: 40ns
ePRTC* (G.8272.1)
frequency + phase
Zero-trust multisource
validator + combiner
Grandmaster time server
sync
network
ePRTC accuracy: 30ns
sync
network
NTP PTP NTP PTP
PTP PTP
Cesium (Cs) backup
TaaS
GPS
Other backup sources
GBaaS
*enhanced
Primary
Reference
Time Clock
PTP / NIST/ eLoran / LEO PNT
Cs
backup
1 2

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BITS
10 MHz
SyncE
PTP/NTP
IRIG
PPS
PPS+TOD
ePRTC solution configuration and performance
GPS/M-code
receiver
GPS
antenna
Zero-trust
multisource validator
+ combiner
GPS receiver and Zero-trust multisource validator + combiner
are integrated into the Grandmaster
Other backup sources
Time/Phase holdover if GPS goes down
SePRTC*: 100ns over typ. 55 days
1µs over typ. 4 months
14 days
Time error
100ns
30ns
Short-term GPS backup holdover performance
Long-term GPS backup holdover performance
35ns
Masks
Optical Cesium
clock backup
Grandmaster
time server
65ns
45ns
ePRTC
ePRTC+
SePRTC
*Super ePRTC solution
GPS/
Mcode
GBaaS
TaaS
PTP / NIST/ eLoran / LEO PNT
ePRTC (G.8272.1)
(functional diagram)

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WAN network
Networkwide
Sync Mgmt
packet LAN network
GPS TaaS+GBaaS architecture in Hi-Rel MIL networks
MIL Network Node
Site-1
PTP failover backup
cross reference monitoring
2
5
GM-2*
NTP
(ms accuracy)
*GPS/Mcode NTP/PTP
Grandmaster Time Server with
“zero-trust multisource validator
+ combiner” solution
GM-1*
Cesium, PTP, NIST,
eLoran, LEO PNT, etc.
GPS/
Mcode
7
PTP PTP
(sub-µs accuracy)
PNT backup
sources
Servers/VMs running critical JADC2 battlefield applications supported by zero-trust PNT services
AI-based timing
management system
3
4
PTP
1
2
MIL Data Center
Site-2
6
Receiver

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Managing GPS TaaS+GBaaS architecture in Hi-Rel MIL networks
AI-based timing management system with multilevel fault-tolerance for
end-to-end control, visibility and six 9’s reliability
geolocation Site-1 & Site-2
PTP backup monitoring
from GM-2 to GM-1
timing chain alert with Cesium/
PTP backup rearrangements
GM-1 alert with Cesium backup
timing topology with
Cesium/PTP backup
GPS attack
vendor-agnostic
analytics for GPS
assurance
GM-2 alert with PTP backup
from GM-1
Site-2
Site-1
Site-2
Site-1
GM-2
GM-2 GM-1
PTP
ePRTC
Site-1
Site-2
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Networkwide
Sync Mgmt
PTP
PTP
backup
Cesium
backup

13. Thank you!