Soldiers Struggle To Find Their Way as Land Nav Returns to Basic Leader Course

"This is to be expected to some degree," Stadel told Coffee or Die in a follow-up email after Hendrex's remarks. "The sample size is very small and it’s the first time some Soldiers have done map reading and land navigation since basic training or one station unit training."

BLC is mostly focused on classroom topics, but Sgt. Major of the Army Michael Grinston has made returning field skills to the course a key initiative of his term in that position. Other skills besides land nav, like grenade use and combat medical care, may be introduced soon and the course is likely to have days added on to its length.

To pass the land nav, students have to navigate to three of four waypoints, using only a map, compass, and protractor. “You’re a team leader as a sergeant in a typical platoon, so you’re teaching your troops at the organizational level how to do land nav,” Stadel said.

BLC is part of the Professional Military Education pipeline, which teaches soldiers how to lead at different stages in their military careers. BLC is the Army’s largest leadership course, Stadel said, since many enlisted soldiers make sergeant before leaving the military.

Unlike some of the other PME courses, BLC isn’t tailored to specific military occupational specialties.

Passing land nav hasn’t been a graduation requirement for BLC during the pilot programs, but it will become a graduation requirement once extended to all BLC schools, including on National Guard and Reserve posts.