A new Reserviläinen report says map reading and land navigation remain basic soldier skills, but both reservists and conscripts appear to be losing proficiency as paper map use in everyday life declines. Finland’s Defence Command said conscripts still leave service with, on average, adequate navigation skills, but both military and training officials acknowledge that traditional field navigation has weakened over the decades.

“The everyday use of map applications makes people lazier about traditional navigation thinking and about using a traditional map. In addition, many reserve leaders and future professional military leaders, for whom map and navigation skills should be important in their role, often outsource that competence to the most skilled person in the group. In that case, the leader’s own level of skill can remain shaky.”

Read the entire piece in Reserviläinen.