Liability of the United States Arising Out of The Civilian Use of The Global Positioning System.
Abstract
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.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 24, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA320950
Entities
People
- Jeffrey A. Rockwell
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology