SMA ON VECTORS ENTERS RESTRICTED AREA.

Narrative

WHEN LEAVING ILM DEP AIRSPACE; I (PLT) WAS HANDED OFF TO CHERRY POINT APCH AND I WAS TOLD BY ILM THAT CHERRY POINT DID NOT YET HAVE ME ON RADAR BUT I SHOULD CONTINUE HDG AND ALT. I MADE CONTACT WITH CHERRY POINT (ILM TOLD ME TO KEEP SAME SQUAWK CODE) AND IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. A FEW MINS LATER; I OVERHEARD CHERRY POINT AND ANOTHER PLT TALKING ABOUT VECTORS AROUND A RESTR AREA. I KNEW I WAS CLOSE OR IN A RESTR AREA (BUT NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE ONE I OVERHEARD BEING TALKED ABOUT) SO I CONTACTED CHERRY POINT AGAIN AND TOLD THEM APPROX WHERE I WAS AT THAT TIME. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO IDENT AND THEN TOLD ME TO TAKE A 100 DEG R TURN AND THAT I WAS IN AN ACTIVE RESTR AREA. ONCE CLR OF THE RESTR AREA I WAS TOLD TO STAY 3-4 MI OFF THE BEACH AND RESUME OWN NAV. I FEEL THE PROBLEM OCCURRED BECAUSE BOTH THE CTLR AND PLT FAILED TO MAINTAIN PRECISE POSITIONAL AWARENESS. THE PLT WAS ESSENTIALLY DIRECTED INTO THE RESTR AIRSPACE AND IT WAS THE PLT WHO RECOGNIZED A POSSIBLE PROBLEM. THE CTLR FAILED TO KEEP TRACK OF THE AIRPLANE AND FAILED TO NOTICE THE PLANE ON HIS SCOPE. HE SAW IT AFTER 'IDENT' (NOT A 1200 SQUAWK) AND NEVER LOST IT AFTER THAT. THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS FOR THE PLT TO ALWAYS BE AWARE OF EXACT POS AND TO TREAT ATC AS A BACKUP; YET WE ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTION -- CATCH 22?