Prioritizing Disaster Preparedness: A Resolution for 2024

The most recent occurrence of infrastructure failure in the Western region took place during the Christmas period. Irrespective of the potential culprits, it is imperative for democracies to promptly grasp the valuable insights from this incident.

Christmas Day in Europe brought a sense of tranquility and joy to many, but this peaceful atmosphere was short-lived. On the day after Christmas, an unexplained malfunction occurred in the GPS satellite positioning system, affecting the Baltic Sea region.

The identity of those responsible remains uncertain, but the evidence strongly suggests Russian involvement. In the fall of 2023, three data and energy links on the Baltic seabed were targeted, with Russian and Chinese vessels coincidentally positioned directly above the sites. It later came to light that a Chinese ship had inadvertently severed a gas pipeline by dragging an anchor across it. Finnish sources attributed another attack to Russia.

Irrespective of the circumstances, the occurrence of the Boxing Day congestion reaffirms the fact that hostility can manifest itself unexpectedly, at any given moment, and through any means.

The occurrence of extensive GPS phone jamming in Southern Sweden, Northeastern Germany, and significant areas of Poland on December 26 was readily apparent to pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and users of platforms such as GPSjam.com.

Throughout a regular day, the GPS jam map of Europe west of Russia displays an overwhelming amount of green, signifying minimal GPS interference ranging from 0% to 2%. Occasionally, a handful of yellow dots can be spotted, indicating a slightly higher interference level of 2% to 10%.However, on December 26th, a significant area encompassing Växjö in the northern region, Stralsund and Neubrandenburg in the western part, Łódź in the southern area, and Białystok in the eastern territory exhibited a red color, signifying a GPS interference level exceeding 10%. This incident marked not the initial occurrence of GPS wifi jamming in northern Europe (as northern Norway and Finland had previously experienced such disruptions), but it was undoubtedly the most severe one to date.

The utilization of Google Maps, Apple Maps, and other location services by individuals is often hindered by GPS signal jamming, resulting in a significant challenge to accurately navigate as the reliability of directions becomes uncertain.

GPS interference not only inconveniences the general public, but also poses a significant problem for pilots who heavily depend on GPS for navigation and landing. However, it is important to note that pilots undergo training to manually land their aircraft in the event of GPS jamming, ensuring that there is no need to be concerned about them mistakenly landing on a non-existent runway.