Resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Reference Architecture

Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services have become an invisible but essential utility for many critical infrastructure operations. Disruption of or interference with these systems have adverse effects on individuals, businesses, and the nation’s economic and national security. The existence and nature of threats to PNT services are well known and both government and industry have recognized the need for resilient PNT equipment that is capable of withstanding and recovering from such threats.

The Resilient PNT Reference Architecture builds upon the Conformance Framework by combining modern cybersecurity principles, such as Zero Trust Architectures, with PNT resilience concepts and techniques. It also provides concrete architecture implementation examples that align with the Conformance Framework resilience levels.

This document is relevant to equipment vendors and those interested in the design of resilient PNT systems. The goal of the Reference Architecture is to provide a vision for a holistic approach to Next Generation Resilient PNT systems, and careful application of these concepts and techniques can produce PNT equipment highly resilient to PNT threats and strengthen the resilience of our national critical infrastructure.