This report, The Futures of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, presents the outcome of a foresight exercise aimed at strengthening the link between Swiss academic research and strategic thinking in the defence sector. The initiative was driven by a key question: how can the deep and diverse knowledge found in university laboratories—particularly within EPFL and ETHZ—be mobilized to anticipate future technological developments with potential military relevance?
To explore this, we developed and tested a methodology that engages with academic research broadly. The process is designed to assess all scientific directions on their potential to contribute meaningfully to military needs. In doing so, it seeks to surface unexpected insights, reduce the effect of cognitive or institutional bias, that could prematurely exclude certain areas from consideration, not because they lack value, but because they fall outside current doctrinal or operational comfort zones. The ultimate goal is to establish a process that can anticipate, inspire, inform, instruct, and impact (AI4) the technological future of the armed forces in a systematic and forward-looking way.
Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) was selected as a starting point. It is a domain that is both critical to defence and broad enough to encompass a variety of scientific and technical approaches. Using PNT as a pilot topic allowed us to trial the methodology and involve various stakeholders within the defence environment—testing how both familiar and less conventional ideas can be presented, analysed, and assessed.
Beyond its thematic findings, this report outlines a process that can be replicated with other topics and domains, and offers a framework for sustained engagement between defence future capacity building and the Swiss academic community.
