This is a AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A059023. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: As the number of civilian users of the United States Air Force's Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) continues to increase at such a staggering rate, the government's exposure to potential liability also increases. The purpose of this thesis is to establish a legal framework to apply to GPS-related claims against the United States, primarily against the Air Force as operator of the system. Part I consists of three chapters. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter II describes the system and the general characteristics of GPS. Chapter III outlines the military uses of the system and the increasing and evolving civilian uses. Part II discusses the liability ramifications of providing GPS services for civilian use. Chapter IV provides the statutory bases for the U.S. government's traditional role in regulating civil aviation and maritime navigation. Chapter V analyzes the applicable domestic law under the existing statutes waiving the sovereign immunity of the United States, and Chapter VI looks at liability under international law. Chapter VII then draws some general conclusions as to how the existing law may apply to the government in regulating GPS use and operating the system itself.
