John W. Betz, Ph.D.

John Betz, MITRE Fellow Emeritus, has contributed to modernizing the Global Positioning System (GPS), devising new signal modulations used on GPS and other satellite-based navigation systems while also developing new theory to describe receiver performance. He served as a leader and technical contributor for the design of the military's GPS M-code signal for satellite navigation. 

Betz also helped design the newest GPS signal, the L1C signal. He has been a key contributor to ongoing technical discussions between the United States and other countries developing their own satellite-based navigation systems, working to improve mutual compatibility and interoperability. 

In 2026 Betz was appointed to the Department of War Science, Technology, and Innovation Board. Betz has previously served as chair of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board, and was a consultant on several Defense Science Board tasks. Among other awards and recognitions, Betz is a fellow of both the Institute of Navigation and the Royal Institute of Navigation and is a Life Fellow of IEEE. He is also in the GPS Hall of Fame.