ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An important part of the United States' defense here in Albuquerque marked 20 years on Wednesday. The Joint Navigation Warfare Center is located at Kirtland Air Force Base and is one of five centers in the U.S. Space Command and the Department of Defense's Center of Excellence for Navigation Warfare. Three prominent Nob Hill restaurants close their doors The center allows for the use of positioning, navigation, and timing information while denying the same access to adversaries. At Wednesday's celebration, a commander shared the necessity of tools like GPS for everyday life and to protect the nation from outside forces. "But these services have become so essential to American society, economy and the national security. And with its overwhelming success, it quickly became the primary means of navigation for the DOD systems and quite frankly for the world," said Lt. General Douglas Schiess, U.S. Space Forces. The 20th anniversary was held on October 23 because the number 10-23 appears in navigational codes and frequencies.