Russian forces besieging Ukraine are targeting global positioning system (GPS) satellites, which are used for navigation, mapping, and other functions. Space Force is a branch of the U.S. military.

The estimated death toll among Russian soldiers is roughly equal to Soviet losses throughout the 10-year Afghan war. Russian forces have failed to achieve strategic objectives such as seizing Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, or Mariupol, a major port city.

Over two-thirds of Russia's battalion tactical groups, or basic fighting units, have been deployed. Major interoperability and communication failures have plagued its forces.

Another major issue is the scarcity of satellites, particularly those with high-quality capabilities.

As per Pentagon spokesman General David Thompson, Russia is tampering with GPS signals given by the U.S. in Ukraine. Along its borders with Finland, Russia is said to have jammed the GPS used by commercial aircraft. According to U.S. commanders, Russia has not yet launched an attack on the U.S. However, the U.S. does not have any GPS satellites in orbit. The Space Force will be on the lookout.

"Certainly, the Russians recognize the value and importance of GPS and work hard to prevent others from using it," Thompson said. He noted that Russia has not directly attacked any satellites in orbit, but the Space Force is on the lookout for such threats.

Russia is specifically targeting the Navstar satellite system, which is used by the U.S. and made freely available to several governments across the world.

These 24 main GPS satellites orbit the Earth every 12 hours, each sending a synchronized signal. Because the satellites are moving in opposite directions, the signals are received at slightly different times by users on the ground. When at least four satellites communicate with the receiver, the receiver can calculate the user's location - often to a few feet' precision for civilian use.

Ukraine does not have a satellite fleet. It has, however, benefited immensely not just from the record amount of weaponry and military equipment supplied by the U.S., but also from an unparalleled amount of intelligence, including real-time data on Russian army movements.

The Russian strikes, which began on February 24 and are still ongoing, have also resulted in a shortage of Internet connectivity in Ukraine. At Ukraine's request, SpaceX has delivered thousands of Starlink terminals to the country to give the country its infrastructure.

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, started in early March that Starlink signals had also been jammed, but that his organization is adopting. On Mar. 1, Musk noted on Twitter that "certain Starlink terminals near conflict regions were getting congested for several hours at a time." "The jamming has been bypassed with our most recent software update."