A Re-emphasis on the Importance of Land Nav Training by Staff Editor

Challenge:
Land nav remains both a basic skill and a formidable challenge within today’s military. When command issues a time and place for you to be at a point on the grid, you must show up. Getting there, both the skillset and the actual operation, are a journey loaded with pitfalls and perils. OTTO Lynq PRO™ is an invaluable tool for both student and teacher in these scenarios.

Soldiers training to learn land nav lack the experience and knowledge to make the correct decisions. Sometimes the Soldier becomes lost. Other times the Soldier may place themselves in harm’s way inadvertently, such as entering a restricted or closed area. Soldiers lost or disoriented are at a higher risk for injury or exposure. This may result in a man down or unresponsive situation. But command needs Soldiers to learn their basic skills, how to read a map, how to use a compass, and how to manage their time efficiently so they show up on target, on time, ready to fight, and do so safely and accurately.

Solution:
Learning these skills in an immersion environment is safely accomplished using OTTO’s Lynq PRO™ in conjunction with traditional tools like a map and compass. When deployed for training missions, Lynq PRO can be specifically configured with navigational capabilities removed for the student but not for the instructors. This way, the instructors can track Soldiers in the field while denying them the device's GPS navigation features. If a Soldier strays from the course, instructors can use Lynq PRO’s built-in messaging to correct his/her behavior. If unresponsive or immobilized, situations can quickly turn into a man-down and rescue operation. In this scenario, Lynq PRO’s location tracking can direct responders to the Soldier so that they can render aid and evacuate as needed. 

Configuring Lynq PRO for this situation is easily managed via OTTO Lynq PRO Deployment Kits. Instructors can quickly disable select features to prevent Soldiers from using (GPS, Messaging, Team Location) while retaining the tools on the instructor side to track and communicate with their Soldiers in real time. The flexibility and configurability of Lynq PRO offer solutions to scenarios no other single device currently offers.

This capability provides a broad spectrum of training assistance, from Soldiers completing their initial land nav courses, to operators in advanced selection courses, and everywhere in between. Lynq PRO is uniquely suited to train today’s Army.