Now that 99% of boats in which any formal navigation occurs depend
heavily on GPS, paper charts are becoming pretty scarce. Sure, we all
keep nodding and agreeing whenever anybody reminds us to have paper
charts aboard for a backup- but pretty soon it begins to sound like
"Make sure you wear your PFD"- advice that most will agree is sound
but far fewer follow in practice.

In the news this morning, China launched a missle that flew into space
and destroyed a (Chinese) satellite. Omnious.

In any confrontation where a higher-tech country invaded a lower-tech
country, taking out the GPS system would give the defenders, more
familiar with the geography and terrain, some serious advantages. I
believe that taking out the GPS system would interfere with the
function of many of our "smart" weapons, drones, etc. Eliminating the
high tech advantages would reduce the conflict closer to a point where
the country with the greatest number of people in the army had a better
chance of winning. (oops)

So let's be careful to maintain peaceful relations with China. If we
grump 'em off too badly, our GPS system will be an early casualty.

People who laugh at me for keeping a paper chart on the chart table
immediately below my Simrad plotter will be asking me to loan them a
chart or two if we get tangled up with the Chinese. :-)