DSP-CS-6, DEFENSE STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM (DSP) CASE STUDY: NAVSTAR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) - A MILITARY STANDARD TRANSFORMS GLOBAL NAVIGATION

DSP-CS-6, DEFENSE STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM (DSP) CASE STUDY: NAVSTAR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) - A MILITARY STANDARD TRANSFORMS GLOBAL NAVIGATION., The benefits of strategic standardization in items across different weapons systems are far reaching. GPS, which burst onto the scene during the Persian Gulf war, was and is the largest avionics procurement and installation in DoD history. The ability to employ commercial GPS equipment illustrates how strategic standardization can have a global impact. The NAVSTAR System permits users on land, at sea, and in the air to determine their dimensional position, velocity, and time, in all weather, anywhere in the world with precise accuracy. DoD directs and funds the GPS Program. The Joint Program Office (JPO) employs more than 400 personnel from all the branches of the service including NATO and Australia. Through its close ties, the JPO has insured interoperability and commonality through standardization across multiple weapon platforms. By using a standard system and a single buying activity, the U.S. and its allies realized significant economies of scale and buying, leveraging, and lowering total ownership costs.