Land Navigation

South African Special Forces (Recce) Selection

The South African Reconnaissance Regiments are one of the lesser-known or understood groups of soldiers in the world today. They have been through many phases and missions under the command of very different governments, especially in the last quarter-century. Today’s ‘Recce’ is often attached to missions of the United Nations for peacekeeping missions in various parts of Africa. The old SADF (South African Defense Force) was primarily a highly specialized unit born in the midst of a growing fire of communist insurgencies across the continent.

Similar to the big Army mindset of the United States that was against any type of Special Forces, South Africa did not see the need for anything beyond the vaunted airborne forces known as the Parabats. A few visionary soldiers saw the need for highly specialized and mobile forces, able to perform deep recon and direct action behind enemy lines. In 1967, Jan Breytenbrach, a highly innovative officer in the Parachute Battalions secured permission to take 12 of his men to Rhodesia and undergo SAS selection in an attempt to bring that training back and multiply it and eventually form up a successful Counterinsurgency (COIN) unit of its own.

Many growing armies in war and peace seek knowledge from other countries who have experience in the areas they want to strategically employ. Breytenbach and all of his men were ground down with intention but passed Rhodesian SAS selection in good shape. This nucleus would be the beginning of a unit that would be permanent and legendary.

The initial training of a special operations soldier is generally referred to as Selection. There are other terms such as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) but Selection is a word that holds significance. The magnitude of what men go through to make it into a unit is intended as a mutual selection. The instructors get a chance to determine the suitability of a candidate through whatever means they can devise but equally important is the soldier’s chance to select whether he truly wants to follow through and be standing at the end.

Each unit has its own tried and true methods to strip everything away down to raw and bloody will and each soldier must find a way, inside, to not only stay in the game but to find a way to perform up to standards.

Recce operators before conducting a cross-border operation during the South African Border War.

The Recces went through their own learning curve to find the best men. In the beginning, a traditional SAS-style course was undertaken. Half of the cruel and unusual punishment came from the landscape and wildlife of Africa itself. The heat, terrain, and ability to endure it would ensure Darwins ‘Survival of the Fittest’ had some say so in the Recces.

Once the unit became official in the mid-1970s the recruiting and training classes commenced, the cadre often found themselves searching far and wide for candidates. With the rigorous process of applying, showing physical fitness, and a suitability interview with a psychiatrist much was invested in prospects before they showed up for Selection.

A series of events in 1975 proved that the ‘head shrinks’ would be an invaluable tool and that the evolution onto a plain of pain and endurance was indeed a large part mental.

One class began with 14 candidates. Only one of them graduated. He was on the course alone for a great part of it. General Fritz Loots, who had become the General for Special Forces command and development with Breytenbach was quite distressed. Missions for the Recces were available and a lack of manpower was holding the entire concept hostage.

The course officer had also reported that a further eight of them had the potential to become operators. Both Loots and Breytenbach decided that until further notice, no one would leave the course without permission. They reasoned that duty with the Recces was chosen and like any other unit, it was their duty to stay on regardless.

Another class of 28 formed up and within a week fourteen men had thrown in the towel. Angered by this, the 14 were ordered back to Selection and several of them continued on to graduation and proved to be useful and capable Recces.

Two psychiatrists were put on duty to be available to help the men on Selection. The idea of seeing a ‘headshrinker’ being for the weak-minded was slowly dispelled and accepted by the majority of the cadre.

Although eventually men would be allowed to drop or ‘throw in the towel,’ the importance of a strong psychological workup before and during Selection greatly improved their success rate. They also improved the entire pre-selection work up to determine the likely success of volunteers. Sports science was coming into its own and was advantaged by doctors to find out if the cardiovascular system was capable of enduring training. Joint flexibility, wear and tear on knees, hips and lower back was profiled with X-rays and load tests to weed out those who were unable to carry up to 120 pounds on their back.

The old school method of finding bodies and letting them sink or swim was not proving useful and amounted to a waste of time and money to a fledgling organization. In essence, men who showed up had nothing standing between them and success except the unforeseen injury.

The cadre learned as well. Simple mistreatment and discouraging an individual did not gain positive results. Pushing a man to his limits and instilling desire while holding to the rigorous standards gave the best results.

However, these changes did not lessen the difficult nature of the course. Recce Selection proved to be one of the most difficult in the world. As with any mission, the terrain dictates the type of training needed. Operating in the subtropic heat and arid environment proved to be the downfall of many men.

Some people simply could not acclimatize to the heavy workload in the heat. Endless marching through rough terrain with packs, rationed food, and water day after day was simply too much for many men.

Being able to map read and keep yourself and your team on a ruler’s edge to an objective was fundamental. Doing so after a 24-hour march shouldering an 80-pound ruck with blood pouring out of your boots from raw skin and limited food and water became exceedingly difficult.

A man’s temperament was constantly under surveillance, especially at these key times. A cool head in the midst of extreme physical discomfort was paramount. A man who would lose his head with another candidate or God forbid an instructor could lead to a swift ticket home. The Recces needed the type of mentality that could ruck 150 klicks, recon a target, and hoof it back on foot with the enemy in pursuit, being out of food and searching for water.

The wildlife of Africa was a built-in part of the course that could not be avoided and would always be present in combat operations. A notorious exercise to quell the natural fear of predators including the crocodile is presented in Harry McCallion’s book “Killing Zone.” McCallion had served in the British Paras and sought adventure in South Africa. Upon arrival, he was offered a slot to try out for the Recces. He was accustomed to the extreme physical fitness required and endless marching but one exercise nearly caused him to leave straight away.

The class was conducting evolutions near a lake. The men were brought up to see the crocodiles that slithered up and down its banks and into the water. Later into the night after endless log and rifle PT and hard running they ended back up at the lake. They were instructed to dress down to their skivvies and swim across a croc-infested lake. There was a lot of protesting, and especially from McCallion.

Why in the world would he risk his life during Selection? A rope was there to help you get across. Twenty men refused to swim the 100 yards and disqualified themselves. McCallion decided that he had some and pass the course, alive or dead, and went for it. He lived as did the others.

Later a course instructor came to him and told him the reason for the evolution. A similar situation had occurred recently on a hot extraction after contact. Several chanced it and made it but two men refused. A scout happened to have found a narrow place farther upriver. The whole team’s life was in jeopardy due to fear. They didn’t want mindless men. They wanted men who could face their fear in the direst of circumstances, overcome them and continue the mission.

Almost all selection courses have their version of Hell Week. After my personal interviews with two Recces one thing stood out that the South Africans required of the men during the most mentally and physically grueling part of the Selection course to determine if they had the fortitude to become Recces. The intentional lack of food for 5-6 days. Whereas in BUD/S they are fed up to 6000 calories/day, potential Recces had a handful of rice here, a fruit there. In fact, one of the Recces I interviewed said that was the hardest part and probably the thing that messed with their will to finish the most.

When the body is beyond empty and at a physical low, the South Africans believed they could find a man’s deepest desire. Taking one of the most powerful needs that humans have and depriving them of it while continuing the demands of endless marches and PT could reveal the men who could stick around and endure the missions required by these Soldiers.

All of the bushcraft, tracking, counter tracking, minor tactics, assaulting tactics, reconnaissance fieldcraft could only be given to the men who were physically, mentally, and morally able to undergo the fear, deprivation, and punishment that is Selection for the Reconnaissance Commandos.

Below you will find a Recce candidate’s notes during the equivalent of Hell Week. It contains many gems and insights. The translation belongs to Willem Ratte, one of the most experienced small unit reconnaissance operators in the world (thank you, Mr. Ratte).

Wednesday (4.5.75): We got wet in the rain that night and it was bloody cold.
Thursday (6.5.75): Start 6 am with PT running through water and over sand dunes With a full sandbag. Lectures. Went to Sibaya lake where we had to swim. Nearly saw my ass. At 6pm we started our z (bedford) BD with ropes too sore. Waiting now for the next trick.
Friday (7.5.75): The next trick was to walk to Sibaya lake with full sandbag 16km. This morning we had to double 16 km back to camp. Then we had to run with kit on the beach and the crawl through the surf. Midday we had a compass lecture, practical. We walk up to our hips in a huge swamp. Then shooting practice. 8pm we start to walk, until 2am, approx 20km.
Saturday (8.5.75): the night was heavy & cold. 6am we started to pull the bedford with ropes, until 9am, approx 4km. Suffer heavy because we have been without food for 2 days now. 10am we start walking until 1.30pm, approx 8km. Midday we do observation skills. Tests that evening. 8pm we must do 16km again. GREAT EVENING FOR ME.
Sunday (9.5.75. 6): Am we double back to camp. Rifle inspection and bush lane. Swim with kit and ambush for night.
Monday (10.5.75): after ambush we have to move along beach to our RV. Arrive in the morning at 7am, approx 10km then mountain climbing exercises. We are heavy & hungry. 3 days without food. Get food and sleep well.
Tuesday (11.5.75): rest and get kit ready for big thing. Jump tonight for our starting point. We will have to do 400+km.
Wednesday (12.5.75): Jump last night and start walking until 2am, approx 20km. start walking at 6am. Do 28km until 12pm. Ha!
Thursday (13.5.75): Walk approx 25 km to Sibaya lake. Then row for 20km to the other side of the lake to the next RV.
Friday (14.5.75): Walk with the boat for approx 8km. Suffer a lot. Then walk for 30km to coast. Eat lekker (nice) pap (porridge).
Saturday (15.5.75): Start walking 5am. Must do 36km before 3pm. get there 4.30. Only group there. Throw food out for us by parachute.
Sunday (16.5.75): Wait until 1pm for others. Made nice porridge for breakfast. Must now walk 43km. They take all our kit and food.
Monday (17.5.75): It is now 6am and we are hungry and ice-cold. Wait for instructors. We walk approx 40km in direction of Ovbombo mountains. Must go over river. Me and Hein go over first. Half-way the rope breaks. float back to bank. Hein probably kicks off rope which holds rifles, 2 metres from shore. Search but find nothing.
Tuesday (18.5.75): Walk until this morning 4.15. We receive orders to walk back 45km with a pole. My feet are one blister.
Wednesday (19.5.75): Walk approx 30km until 9,30. my feet heavy & sore. Cross river by boat. Eat coffee and bread. very tired and full of longing.
Thursday (20.5.75): get to RV at 9.30am. We cammo ourselves with ash. Think is nearly over. General loots is at RV and we must do buddy rating. We lay an ambush 24km further on.
Friday (21.5.75): Get to RV at 8am. Bush was very thick. The next RV 15+12km far. My feet heavy & sore. Take short-cut through swamp. (They) Catch us and take our shoelaces and all our food.
Saturday (22.5.75): had to walk 12km further the previous night to emergency RV. From there we start walking at 1am. For 45km. Have no food. with (native) chief we eat porridge, tea and coffee. Full of longing. We are first to get to RV. Tell us to walk along road for 10km. Hope this is the last stretch. (They) chase us all the way. Get there 5pm. 6pm they tell us back 25km. We are heavy & tired, exhausted and hungry. Walk only until 8.30. O ja, ;we ate many dates. Wish I could give them to Hannelie.
Sunday (23.5.75) Start walking at 4am. am still stiff. 40km. Get to RV at 10am. First there. Get food and tell us to walk along road, individual test, appr 5km, when instructor in the bush calls us and gives us a beer and tells us the course is over. Bloody glad. Gen Loots also there.

Searching For the Perfect Rucking Boot? Look No Further

Recommending gear is always a difficult proposition. Why? Because everyone is different, has different tastes, is built differently and certain gear that may work perfectly for one guy, won’t work a bit for someone else.

Caveat aside, one thing that we’ve harped on is having comfortable, tough, versatile boots on your feet. In Special Forces, your boots and your feet are your lifelines. Without a great pair of leather personnel carriers, you won’t get very far. That’s why, for me, the Merrell MOAB mid is the best boot on the market.

I’ve been using them for more than ten years, this is my second pair of MOABs and they are tough, comfortable and I can say with thousands of miles underfoot, I’ve never had a blister wearing them.

Mine have run the gamut of different types of terrain that I’ve worn them in. Here in the states, we hike and I’ve climbed in and out of a local place, Purgatory Chasm that is as rocky and tough as it sounds although the trails are short in duration. I’ve hiked the White Mountains of NH around Mount Washington, taken them into desert environments in several countries in the Middle East. They’ve also carried me into a more tropical place in Senegal and a mixed bag of wet, urban and semi-desert environments in Mexico.

Taking a break for some late night tea in a Bedouin tent coffee shop.

The sizing on these run (to me) about a half size smaller. I wear an 11 or 11 ½ depending on the manufacturer but the size 12 fits like a glove. And that is the thing about these boots that just jumps off the page. These fit like a favorite pair of slippers right out of the box. I don’t have a wide foot and the MOAB fits like a running shoe. The weight on them isn’t much more than a good pair of running or trail shoes and the mid has the height to give just the right amount of support.

I’ve always liked the lighter, snug boots, back when working in SFAS, my go-to boots on dry days were the old Adidas GSG9 boots. They were more running shoe than boot and were extremely light. I did several 20-milers with a heavy ruck in those and again, never got a blister. The MOAB boot is similar. It required zero break-in time. I got a new pair right before jumping on a plane for work in Morocco. I took them out of the box, put them on and went for a three-mile hike with absolutely no discomfort.

Merrell puts out on their website the following information:
UPPER/LINING
Waterproof Dura leather and mesh upper
• Bellows tongue keeps debris out
• Synthetic leather toe cap and heel counter
GORE-TEX® Performance Comfort Footwear lining protects feet and keeps them dry
Breathable mesh lining treated with Aegis® Antimicrobial solution maintains foot comfort
Ortholite anatomical footbed

MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE
Molded nylon arch shank
Compression molded EVA foot frame provides cushioning
Merrell Air Cushion in the heel absorbs shock and adds stability
5mm Sole lug depth
Vibram® Multi-Sport Sole/TC5+ Rubber
Weight: 1 lb. 15 ozs.

The Ortholite anatomical footbed insoles that come with the boots are tremendous factors in their comfort. Working as the security advisor for a film in the Middle East required long hours of standing. At times on concrete, on hard packed dirt and on the top of buildings. I removed the Merrell footbed insoles and replaced them with an aftermarket one designed for standing. After two 12 hour nights, my feet hurt. I went right back to the Merrells.

Working as a contractor in a woodland environment, the MOAB with the Gore-Tex lining were superb three season boots. Living in the Northeast United States, I wear a taller pair of boots in the winter due to the depth of the snow, but this boot will keep your feet warm even in very cold temps. What stands out is the balance between lightness and support. Again, my preference has always been on a lighter weight boot. For really rough, broken and rocky terrain, I’ve always kept a pair of Merrell Sawtooth but unfortunately, those are no longer in production.

The Gore-Tex lining is a better value than the Waterproof and breathes much better if you’re going to be rucking for distances. The other nice feature is the footbeds slide out easily and allows the boot to air dry much more effectively and quickly. The snug fit doesn’t allow for any sliding around inside the boot which cuts down on hot spots or blisters.

These are excellent for all-around use, you can wear these anywhere and not look like you’ve just come back from an operation, but they are rugged enough to stand up to the abuse on rocky, uneven trails. The Vibram soles give an excellent grip and the molded nylon arch shank provides maximum comfort.

These are some tremendous lightweight hiking boots. If you’re like me and want a comfortable, running shoe type feel for your boots while rucking, give the Merrell MOAB a try. They are a tremendous value. They seem to be quite popular with the Special Operations guys and for good reason. When this pair wears out, it will be time to purchase pair number three.

Land Navigation Refresher – Helpful Tips When Navigating

“…We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence then is not an act but a habit”

Aristotle

One of the first questions we always get here at SpecialOperations.com or over at NEWSREP (our parent site), from any aspiring SOF candidates is, “What do I have to do to get Selected?” While it is a legitimate question, it is a bit simplistic. There is no one specific thing that a candidate has to do to pass but many.

Selection and Assessment for Special Forces haven’t changed all that much since the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II when General William “Wild Bill” Donovan and his band of glorious amateurs were looking for “PHDs who can win a bar fight.”

While SOF doesn’t require doctoral degrees or any degree for that matter, they are constantly looking for candidates who are smart, trainable and have a good overall balance of knowledge.

As we’ve mentioned many times before, in Selection there are three big discriminators that every candidate must check the block on early in the process if they are going to get selected. Those are being properly prepared for Physical Fitness, Rucking, and Land Navigation.

That’s why we’ve been going back to the basics and hitting on and revisiting all of the topics that generally give candidates the most issues, lately in Land Navigation.

Again, the biggest failure is the failure to prepare. If you are properly prepared, there is no reason you can’t do what thousands of Special Operations Forces troops before you have accomplished. It is more of a mental block than anything else.

So….we’ve gone over some of the A-B-Cs, the basics of Land Navigation and now comes the time to put all of those lessons into practice. I’ve compiled some nice to know notes from back in the day, that are really helpful, especially if you’ve never done Land Nav before.

Invest in a Good Map Case – A good one should be waterproof, seal up tight so that you won’t lose pencils, grease pencils, your protractor …etc. I should also have a neck lanyard or least one that will allow you to attach it to your body, via a snap link. Losing your map in Hoffman is bad, bad, bad news.

Some guys opt for ziplock bag but those can fall out of a shirt or pants pocket and then you’re right back to square one. Some have extra pockets to store other materials as well. Next…

Fold the Map – This sounds so simple but yet you want to fold the map to keep only the area you are traversing in sight. It saves tons of time when checking your map during movement.

Have you ever seen a film where they’re trying to portray a lost person (Ned the Navigator) who has no clue where he is and how he can find his way? If you fold the map down so that only the part of your map that you are using shows, it simplifies things immeasurably. Every time you consult your map, only where you are and where you are going next is visible. It saves a lot of time. And when you’re on the course, a minute here or there can be very valuable. If you’ve ever been around orienteers walking or running on a navigation course with only a small folded map in their hands, The are surveying only the part that matters to them at the moment. Having the route which you are traveling showing with a bit of leeway on either side is a good rule of thumb to follow, speaking of which…

Thumbing – This helps to always know exactly where you are without searching around on the map. However, in Camp Mackall, this may prove difficult at times. And no it isn’t hitching a ride to your next point.

Here’s how thumbing works. When navigating, especially in the Hoffman area, you’ll want …and need to make frequent map checks. Trying to find your location on the map every time you stop can be time-consuming. So the easiest way to keep track is to hold your thumb at the spot on the map where you are. Then as you progress through the course, you can slide your thumb along the route. Using this method consistently eliminates the time it would take to orient the map and then find your way.

Good Ways to Check Your Progress While on the Move:

Plan Checkpoints Along the Route – Checkpoints help to keep you on target. They are also a great way to check your route planning and pace count. If you get to a checkpoint and the going is much tougher than anticipated. You have a place where you can plot and then plan an alternate route.

This is also great reassurance if you happen to be new at this and are unsure of yourself. Trust me, in Hoffman, you will be…

If your route planning takes you by an improved crossroad or the edge of a large body of water, those are easy checkpoints to use as a way to check your route and pace count.

You can use any map feature that is readily identifiable along the way. This is the reassurance that you really do know where you are. This will aid you in finding your Attack Point.

Attack Points – Finding a good attack point before your actual point is essential.

Someone in one Selection class got hung up on what constitutes an attack point. And the fact is, we all have used them countless times. An attack point is nothing more than an identifiable landmark to guide you to your target.

“When you come down Main St. you’ll pass a Dunkin’ Donuts on the right. Right after that take your second left and the house is the fourth on the right.” Sound familiar?

In this case, the Dunkin’ Donuts was the attack point – an unmistakable feature that tells you you’re getting close. Then, you know, that from there, it’s a very short distance to your destination. Sometimes if your attack point is a crossroad or along a linear spot like a road, we use deliberate offset, which means that you purposely aim to the right or left of a spot so that if you don’t hit the attack point exactly, you know, you must move either right or left correspondingly.

Draws and Thickets – As you encounter the draws and thickets of which there are a plentiful amount in Hoffman, you’ll no doubt see where others have tread before you and those well-worn paths are a good indicator that this is the best spot to cross a draw. So, if you must cross a draw in the “Dagobah System”, take advantage of some of the other candidates’ trailblazing and save yourself some time.

In SFAS an instructor will be present at each of your points but you’ll no doubt come across green engineer stakes with a dog tag on them. If you do, do yourself a favor and stop and check them out. These are put in by GPS for the SFQC and are an eight-digit grid coordinate that are exactly where they say they are. There’s no better way to check your location.

Photo courtesy of DOD

Getting Back to the A-B-Cs of Land Navigation – Resection

For the benefit of some of the aspiring members of the Special Operations community, we’ve been going back to the basics of passing Land Navigation. This was after a recent article that stated the Army has noticed a lack of expertise at junior NCOs with a map and compass.

Waiting until one gets to Selection isn’t the time to learn that your Land Navigation skills are not up to snuff and will result in a very long face especially in SFAS once you experience the loveliness of Hoffman. As we mentioned in our piece last week three of the biggest issues that stop candidates from being selected are Physical Fitness Preparation, Rucking, and Land Navigation.

SFAS will combine all three of those issues in the very early days of the course, as candidates will be running for time, rucking and then join the three into the Land Navigation course, known as the Star Course in Hoffman.

Today, we are going to look at the way to find your location if you are unsure of your exact map placement. And before you say “I’ll never get lost that way!” I’ll say this, ‘wait until you get there first.’ There is going to be times in the course that you won’t be certain of your exact location. If you are unsure of your exact location, you can find your location easily if you can pick out some distant landmarks. It is called Resection.

Resection is defined as the method for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

For the purposes of our practical application, we used only two however, obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In this exercise, we used the map and compass method, but we’ll go over the other methods as well.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using the compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to one of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position if desired.

The intersection of the lines is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes.

Straightedge Method:

To accurately find your position, the successful navigator must:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

Where the intersection of the lines meets on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Method:

The modified method is the least preferred method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate.

For our video demonstration, practical exercise, we were moving along our azimuth and came across a railroad track. Just barely visible in the far distance is a wind turbine that sits high upon a hilltop. Once we are able to locate the wind turbine on the map, we take an azimuth, using our compass, and determine the grid azimuth.

Then we draw a back azimuth using the “more than 180 degrees subtract 180 or less than 180 degrees add 180” rule and draw a line on our map. Where the line intersects the railroad line is our exact location.

If this were close to our point during a Land Navigation course, this would be a prime attack point as you’d have a very good place to search for the point. However, if you’re still far from your point, it is a great place to check your exact location and ensure that you’re heading on the correct azimuth.

Check out the short video from two years ago and see how it works out. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me [email protected] or at my Twitter account @SteveB7SFG

Photos courtesy of DOD, Video: Author

Getting Back to Land Nav Basics – Plotting and Planning Your Routes

So, last week we touched on a subject that is in the news about how junior NCOs (E-4 – E-6) aren’t doing well overall with navigation with a map, protractor, and compass. As we mentioned prior, Land Navigation is a critical skill that every Special Operator must possess and if you are an aspiring member of the Special Forces Regiment

If you are an 18X enlistee, new to the Army or are a junior NCO who isn’t a natural at Land Navigation then you should really pay attention because the course for SFAS and SFQC students located in Hoffman, NC is no joke.

You’ll hear horror stories about many of the Special Operations courses and the specific gates or events that are legendary…and hard. Some are not-so-bad while others are legitimately very difficult to pass. The “Star Course” is one of the latter.

However, it is far from impossible, thousands of SF troops have passed it before you and thousands more will pass in the future. It just requires a mastery of the basics, a cool head at planning and conducting your routes and attention to detail.

Ready? Let’s jump back in this with both feet.

Plotting Your First Point:

In our last post, we went over and we’ve checked and then double-checked our location so that you know exactly where you are starting from. Now you plot your first point (which is where you are going) in the exact same way.

Read to the right and up and using the 1/50,000 map scale, carefully plot your eight-digit grid coordinate to where you are going. Remember, four-digit grids will get you to within 1000 meters, six-digit grids to within 100 meters and an eight-digit grid will get you to within 10 meters. Double check your plot and ensure you’ve got it right.

Now measure the distance between the two points. Remember this is straight line distance and not walking distance. Your actual traveling distance will vary widely from point to point depending upon your route selection and the terrain that you’ll encounter.

Planning the Route:

There are two basic ways you can get to where you’re going. Either will get you to where you’re going but for your purposes in SFAS, one may prove to be a better option. A word to the wise here, use some common sense here. Don’t go with what everyone else is doing, always do what is right for you and what you feel most comfortable with.

Dead Reckoning – Is arguably the easiest system to use, if the terrain and distance allow it. Dead reckoning is done in two steps. The first step is getting an azimuth from your starting point using your map and protractor and determine the distance to where your point is located at.

The next step is to convert your grid azimuth to a magnetic and use your compass and your pace count and apply what you’ve already learned. You then walk to your point by staying as close as you can to your azimuth.

Your position can be checked from time to time using both resection or intersection when the terrain features are available. Dead Reckoning has some advantages; it is easy to teach the neophyte navigator and in open terrain, especially in grassy areas or desert type regions, it is easier to stay on the azimuth. It works well also when the distances to be covered are short.

In open terrain and if you can pick out a spot on your azimuth, far in the distance, it makes for an easier walk as the navigator can then put his compass away and move quickly to that point.

A distinct disadvantage of this method is when you’re facing the terrain you’ll be subjected to in the Hoffman area. Thick vegetation, intermittent streams, draws and swampy areas make Dead Reckoning a rather difficult method. Some of the thickets and thick vegetation of Hoffman can really slow you down.

However, it can and does work. I know several SF guys who plowed thru the Land Nav course using this exact method. I wouldn’t recommend this but it can be done, albeit like a bull in a china shop. But perhaps the second method is the better way to go.

Terrain Association – Is a more difficult way to plan but is much less forgiving of mistakes and as a rule a helluva lot less time consuming than Dead Reckoning. It requires a more detailed map study of where you’re going and how you plan to get there but the time spent planning your movement is better served than trying to plow your way thru the draws and thickets.

The advantages of terrain association are obvious. If you veer off course in Dead Reckoning, you can be in trouble. But by using terrain association, your position is easily checked and adjustments made on the fly and most importantly while moving..

Selection and identification of terrain features are the keys here to successful planning. Plan your route using handrails as a guide and ensure to plot checkpoints along the way. Ensure your map is oriented and use the available terrain as a guide. You won’t be following a specific azimuth per se, but more of a cardinal direction to your checkpoints using your map to guide you.

You can use the roads both the improved and the unimproved as a guide but the best advice is to remember the rules. If the cadre members tell you not to use them…don’t. Parallel the roads but not too closely. Make sure that plot a backstop on your route that you can identify as having gone too far.

A word of caution about the roads in Hoffman. There a lot of them out there, and many are not on the map. And as you become more familiar with it during your practice navigation exercises, many will become easier to spot. You’ll become familiar with “Five Points” and some others but for the most part, those are at times difficult to judge. Just be careful.

Always remember and the instructors will drill it into your head, that if you come upon a hardball road. Stop. You won’t be crossing any of those in the course but a few of the points may be near them so you can use those as a handrail at times.

But just as surely as the national deficit is going to rise, someone in your class is going to cross a hardball road. It used to happen in every class and don’t be surprised to hear about it from the other students. Just don’t be that guy, Ned the Navigator.

Ensure that you plot checkpoints along the way to ensure that you are on track and on target. Choose an attack point that will put you no farther than 200-300 meters from your point. When you arrive there, double check your location and then that is the time to use dead reckoning and plot an azimuth to your point.

We’re almost ready to head out and practice some hands-on training. Remember everything you have learned and the best advice is to practice, practice and practice some more. The more comfortable you are using your map, compass, and skills at terrain association now, the easier the course will be for you.

I’ve said this before but it bears mentioning again. Before you head to SFAS, if you’re not entirely comfortable with navigating 5-6 clicks and finding a green engineer stake on the ground, then check out a local orienteering club. They can be a great learning resource and provide outstanding practice and practical application.

In our next piece, we’ll explore some of the tools to help you double check your way.

Photo courtesy of DOD

Lack Land Navigation Skills at the Special Op’s Level? Level 1 Refresher

On yesterday’s post, we talked about the Army’s junior NCO’s (E-4 – E-6) are exhibiting a definitive lack of Land Navigation skills where nearly a third can’t pass a Skill Level 1 map, compass, and protractor exercise at the Ft. Benning, GA NCO Academy.

We’ll go back to the Basics, much of this you’ll have seen before and if you haven’t or are entering the military and have signed up for a Special Operations slot (Ranger, 18X Program), this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the Land Nav environment that is very hard to pass, especially in SFAS. The majority of people who fail, do so right here. It is the hardest Land Navigation course in the Army and in our opinion (yes, we’re biased) the entire military.

One question we’ve gotten here is “why put such a high priority on a task that won’t even be needed since the teams all have GPS?” The answer is GPS is fantastic and by all means, take advantage of it, but what if your satellites go down or in the case of a large conventional conflict, are jammed by an adversary?

The skills that you’ll need at a minimum and terms that you should be very familiar include but won’t be limited to:

Contour Lines– what are they? And you should know the 3 types and how they appear on the different terrain features. Also, know how to find and identify the contour interval on each map sheet
Terrain Features– How many are there? Know how to be able to identify each
Declination diagram– Be able to identify it on the map and know how it works. Be able to immediately know what the declination is for your area. ***It is very important to successfully navigate in SFAS***
Azimuth and Back azimuth– Identify what it is, how it used and how to calculate it using the declination diagram. What are the two ways it can be measured?
Orienting a Map– What is the definition of it. How many methods are there to do it and be able to do it using each way
Intersection- What is it? How is used? and most importantly how is it determined
Resection– What is it? What is it used for? And be able to do it easily
Dead Reckoning– What is the definition? Know the steps that involve using it. (many candidates use this exclusively but not all accurately)
Field Expedient Direction– How many ways are there to determine it? Be able to perform each one
8-digit Grid Coordinate– What does this measure? How close will that take you to a point on the ground?
6-digit Grid Coordinate– What does this measure? How close will that take you to a point on the ground
Colors on the Map– How many are there and what do they denote?
Mils to degrees– How many mils equal one degree? How is each on used?
Circle– How many mils? How many degrees?

Now we’ll move on to the next step in finding your way around on the ground. That begins with orienting your map and then plotting your start point on the course.

Orienting the Map – This makes map reading and using the available terrain features much easier to read. What does it mean to have the map oriented?

The schoolbook answer is: A map is oriented when it is in a horizontal position with its north and south corresponding to the north and south on the ground. In layman’s terms, it means when you’re holding the map in front of you, the terrain matches up exactly as it is shown on the map.

It makes it much harder to try to read your terrain features upside down or sideways. If you are using an Army lensatic compass, remember that a compass measures magnetic North.

So, don’t forget your declination diagram which is located on your marginal information at the bottom of your map. Most military issue maps take the guesswork right out of it and tell you how to convert the declination of azimuths from grid to magnetic and from magnetic to grid next to the declination diagram.

It sounds simple but many people mess this up and start off on the wrong foot. Don’t be Ned the Navigator. Take your time and do it right the first time. And always double check everything. After you are lost isn’t the time to realize you’ve been moving in the wrong direction.

With the map in a horizontal position, take the straightedge on the left side of the compass and place it alongside the north-south grid line with the cover of the compass pointing toward the top of the map. This procedure places the fixed black index line of the compass parallel to north-south grid lines of the map.

Keeping the compass aligned as we said in the last paragraph, rotate the map and compass together until the magnetic arrow is below the fixed black index line on the compass. You’re close but not there yet!

Now rotate the map and compass in the direction of the declination diagram.

If the magnetic north arrow on the map is to the left of the grid north, check the compass reading to see if it equals the G-M angle (if memory serves me well it is 8 degrees for the Hoffman area) given in the declination diagram. Boom! The map is now oriented. Take your time and try to pick out the terrain features as they lay out in front of you. Just be advised, in the Camp Mackall area, the terrain features aren’t as distinct and are just a bit harder to distinguish.

In certain areas, you’ll be able to orient your map using terrain features. And when the terrain allows, it is quicker and easier to navigate using the available terrain. If you’ve ever navigated in the mountains, you’ll find this is much easier and you’ll find that this way is much more preferable than dead reckoning. And it definitely comes in handy when having to call for fire in a jiffy…(that is for another time perhaps)

Creating a Start Point – Now the map is oriented in the direction that you’re going to be walking and the next thing is you must create a starting location. The starting point is exactly where you are standing. Now pull out your handy, dandy Army protractor. But wait.

Without sounding like a broken record, here is another tip, which seems silly…however. Don’t lose your protractor, always keep it secured inside your map case until you need it and ensure it is in there before taking off and hitting your points, especially at night.

Nothing is worse than losing a protractor during land navigation. While you can get by without one, it makes things unnecessarily much harder. So, take the few seconds to check.

Now read the grid lines to the right and up and make sure that you’re using the 1/50,000 scale for the map, which is in the upper right corner of the protractor. That will automatically ensure that the protractor is facing the right way and isn’t flipped over.

Remember a four-digit grid, gets you to within the grid square or 1000 meters. A six-digit grid to within 100 meters and an eight-digit grid gets you within 10 meters. A good rule of thumb to remember is to forget about where the plastic is cut out of the protractor. Always align the 0’s and check it twice. Ensure you plot it twice to get the exact spot.

Now we have someplace to start. Revisit the above tasks and terms if you’re experienced but rusty in Land Navigation and study those if you’re a novice at this. This is just the beginning.

What I’ve told several 18X candidates before they reported for basic, AIT and airborne school is to join an orienteering club prior to shipping out. Most of them will have classes for newcomers and be a great source of knowledge and experience for you. Land Nav like anything else is easier the more you practice it. And as we used to say as cadre members in Selection, “if you can navigate at Camp Mackall, you can navigate just about anywhere.”

Photo courtesy DOD

Too Many Junior Army Leaders Can’t Navigate, A Bad Sign

A recent piece in MilitaryTimes stated that many of the young sergeants in most infantry and close-combat units don’t know how to maneuver their squads or do basic land navigation. For “soft skill” MOS’ that isn’t necessarily a show stopper, but for the infantry and combat arms types, that is a very bad sign that units aren’t doing proper training for their soldiers and leaders. For Special Operations troops, this lack of training will have a trickle-down effect.

Last week we posted a piece about a soldier who was akin to “Ned the Navigator” and got lost on a Land Nav course. This, however, is no laughing matter.

If conventional infantry units aren’t doing proper training for their soldiers, when they become junior leaders, fire-team leaders, and squad leaders, then they, in turn, can’t properly train their soldiers. And it snowballs.

According to the same Military.com piece by Matthew Cox, the Army’s Noncommissioned Officer Academy is seeing sergeants routinely show up for courses unable to pass a basic land navigation course using a map and compass.

Those courses are a piece of cake compared to what they’ll see in Special Forces. The “Star Course” that SF candidates must pass is easily the toughest land navigation course in the Army and arguably the toughest in the military as a whole.

The majority of Special Forces candidates that fail at Selection and Assessment (SFAS) do so at Land Navigation and it requires every candidate to be on top of his… or her game. And if the E-4s, E-5s, and E-6s can’t do basic navigation at an NCO Academy they have next to zero chance of passing the Star course in Hoffman.

An example of this was back in the day when I went thru the Warrant Officer’s Candidate Course. There were a handful of Special Forces NCOs, a couple of CID NCOs and a whole bunch of high-school to flight school kids who wanted to fly Blackhawks. The CID guys didn’t have much practical experience with maps and compasses, so it was up to us to help out the class.

The cadre played up the difficulty of the course and told horror stories of so many candidates getting lost out in the forest and getting dropped from the course. The SF guys looked at one another and we knew there was no way this could be anywhere near the difficulty as we experienced at Camp Mackall. It wasn’t.

If memory serves right, we had a five-hour window in which to find all of our points and successfully return to the start/finish point. In less than an hour, the SF guys started trotting in. I arrived seconds before my best bud Wade Chapple, who was a frequent target of our Senior Tac Officer. “Are you lost Chapple?” the Senior Tac yelled. With a shit-eating grin, Wade answered, “no sir…just done.”

They checked over our scorecards where we had to mark down each of the points we found. “How is it you finished so fast,” the tac asked. “We’re trained to move out much farther and much faster with a ruck on our backs,” Wade said. “We ran to our points.”

The cadre seemed incredulous that someone can run thru the woods and navigate at the same time…they shouldn’t have. Thousands of SF troops who passed Land Nav at Camp Mackall have done just that. This was nothing more than a glorified compass course which most NCO Academy’s are.

According to cadre at the Henry Caro NCO Academy at Ft. Benning, GA, home of the Army’s Infantry, stated that 30 percent of the NCOs that show up can’t pass the diagnostic dismounted Land Navigation Course. That course is geared toward Skill Level 1 tasks. Many of the NCOs who failed to find the requisite 4-out-of-5 points said that they hadn’t practiced with a map, compass, and protractor for years in their units. That is flat-out wrong.

After my active duty career was over, I worked as a contractor and saw that the troops headed for Iraq were far too dependent on GPS and there was a definitive lack of map reading training taking place.

While that is fine in a counter-insurgency environment in Third World countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, for example, but with the military services transitioning now to a large scale conventional battlefield against a foe of equal strength such as Russia or China, the threat of them blocking or jamming our GPS signals is very real. What happens then?

The Big Army is not doing right by its soldiers and NCOs in this case. Brigade and Battalion commanders have to cut back to the typical ash and trash details and let combat soldiers go back to train to succeed in what they’re supposed to do.

NCOs are the backbone of the military services; when their training and technical competence isn’t up to par, the entire unit’s tactical and technical proficiency will suffer. Get the troops back to the basics and teach them the old way of “Shoot, move and communicate.”

We’re not even going to touch on the fact that most NCOs couldn’t hit their targets with iron sights, as they’ve become too dependent on optics…

Who’s ready to go to Land Navigation this week? It may be time to revisit some of our basic Land Navigation and Map Reading tasks in the very near future.

Photo: US Army

Land Navigation Tips: Do’s and Don’ts For Passing Selection

We’ve been going hard at Land Navigation for the past week or so with a refresher 101-type, of course, to get everyone on the same level playing field. We started we a basic map reading piece and moved on to the necessary basic skills every candidate should be familiar with before arriving.

The key to getting selected in one of the Special Operations Forces’ courses is to be properly prepared and keep a cool head during times of stress. It is certainly so with Land Navigation. Many of the students who fail to pass the Land Nav test did so because they didn’t prepare properly or didn’t think things thru. Occasionally both.

Like most of the challenges you’ll find in Selection, they are more mental than physical despite what you’ll hear from candidates who have gone thru the course.

So as a final primer for our Land Navigation refresher, we’ll put out some final reminders to all the candidates as a not-so-gentle reminder of what to do and just as importantly NOT to do on the navigation course. Some of these you’ve already heard in our earlier posts (foot stomp), they’re important which is why we’ll repeat them again and again.

So, here are our tips for getting a go at Land Navigation in Selection:

Soak up everything that the cadre put out in classes and briefings. They are out there all the time and know the area like the back of their hand. They won’t be trying to make it easy on you, but they won’t tell you anything to lead you astray either. And, (believe it or not, I’ve heard this one before), they will never try to tell you anything to make you fail. The cadre out there are professionals. They want people to pass. The right people,… good people.
Take advantage of all the Land Nav practice sessions out there. Some candidates are afraid of burning themselves out during the practice navigation sessions, that they purposely underachieve to “save it” for the test. Big mistake. Use every second of every practice to learn as much as you can about the course. Because you’ll run the same area for the test. Not the same lanes but you’ll be running on the same map sheet area. If you go to sleep during a practice night navigation. You’re going to get caught and you’ll be a very unhappy camper after the cadre find you.
Find the motivated candidates from the class and talk AFTER the day’s events are over. Don’t get caught talking during practice or the exam because you’ll get bounced. But discuss what you found, and share your experiences and any helpful tips where you can disseminate any possible trouble areas as well. That is allowable and encouraged, as long as it is after the event is over for the day.
Red lens flashlights only. Remember, you’re always being evaluated and the cadre WILL be out there and if you violate any of the rules, they WILL catch you
When you find yourself in one of those rare moments of non-restrictive terrain where the walking is easier, take advantage of it! Use your compass, pick out a spot as far in the distance as you can and move out quickly.
Avoid crossing the draws if you can, especially at night. But if you must cross one using a combination of speed and care. Check your compass every 20-25 paces as it is easy to get turned around in those things. Don’t just blunder thru it like a bull in a china shop. Remember, there have been a ton of students out there if you see a well-worn path that cuts across a draw, it probably means that the students before you have found the path of least resistance across the draw and I’d take advantage of that. Sometimes taking an extra minute or two to properly recon the area will save you tenfold or more the time.
During Selection, an SFAS cadre member will be at the points to check you in and give you the next point on the course, but occasionally you’ll come upon those green Engineer stakes with a tag on them. They’re land navigation points for the SFQC. Take the time, stop, and use the eight-digit grid on them to help you pinpoint your location. That is just like having a built-in GPS on the course. Those are placed in exactly where they’re supposed to be and they’re a great tool to use. Especially if you’re getting close to your point, if you come across one within 200-300m from your point, you now have a perfect attack point.
As we mentioned, use a page from your notebook or an index card to make notes on without writing too much on your map sheet. Make any notations afterward just in case you return on a later date.
Embrace the darkness and night navigation. The majority of your work will be at night, don’t let it get to you and become a master at moving at night.
Trust your map, pace count, and your azimuth as you move out on the course. And never let doubt creep into your mind. Your map and compass aren’t going to lie to you on the course.
Your training and keeping a cool head will get you thru this. Thousands of SOF guys before you have done this and you can too. You will get tired and beat up on the course. That is what it was designed to do. Rise above it and keep driving on.
Don’t forget to use handrails and corridors such as roads and such while moving out. Just don’t get too close to them. If you hit one, then you know you’ve veered too far and need to backtrack.
Plan multiple checkpoints en route to your points. The more the better to validate your location at all times.

And finally, here are some of the names of places on the map, some are named, some given their names from the cadre or candidates. You will know all of these by the time you’re done out there.

Five Points

Puppy Palace

Lake Baggett

Bones Fork Creek

3 Wire Road

Jurassic Park

Scuba Road

Dagobah (The north area…brilliant.)

One last thing, ensure everything is tied down and before you leave any stop, point or checkpoint, that you double check that you have all of your kit and equipment. Don’t ever quit and avoid “Ned the Navigator”, every class has one.

Good luck…and hopefully the day after Land Navigation is done, you’ll be standing in formation with your entire class intact. DOL

Photo: DOD

Night Land Navigation During Selection: “Hello Darkness My Old Friend”

Land Navigation in Selection is a very big obstacle to overcome. To help prepare the candidates for our Special Operations Forces we’ve gotten back to the basics and gone over the various skills that start at square one and gone from there. Now that we’re all on the same sheet of music, so to speak, it is time to take on everything you’ve learned and put it to the test. And the best, most difficult test will be navigating during the hours of darkness.

Some of the questions and/or comments we’ve gotten have to do with night land navigation. And navigating at night is by far the most difficult aspect of navigation. Be prepared to be tested to the max during the night as everything intensifies. Your range of vision will be extremely limited so you’ll have to rely on everything you’ve learned up to this point.

So, we’ll touch on a few highlighted skills that we’ve gone over previously that each candidate will have to know to get over the hump in night navigation. Much of what I’ll mention here has to do with the course in Hoffman, NC at SFAS but the location is secondary. These tips are geared for any Land Navigation course that you’ll attend.

As we’ve said here many, many times, this isn’t something that is impossible to pass. Thousands of Special Operations troops before you have done so and many more thousands will pass after you. Speaking from experience, I passed the Star Course as a candidate and had to do it again before working as a cadre member at SFAS and went thru a class with the candidates as a fully qualified Special Forces soldier. And occasionally between classes, our cadre would reevaluate some of the different lanes that students would run and during the course and conduct the courses again.

So, with that in mind, here are some night navigation tips, many of which are just as apt for the day navigation course.

Route Planning: We wrote a piece about doing proper route planning while navigating. Route planning during selection is probably more important at night as opposed to during the daylight as many of the terrain features are much more difficult to identify. Trying to use dead reckoning for 5-6 clicks in the dark is not a preferred method.

So plan a series of shorter legs and movements and set checkpoints along the way. It is a much easier way to tackle the course and your movement between points. This way, you can check your progress, pace count as well as constantly confirming your location along the way.

Set your checkpoints and handrails on large or linear terrain features such as ridgelines or streams that you can terrain associate with and move out quickly while using your pace count. Use dead reckoning once you get to your attack point. That way if you get turned around, you have a known point you can go back to try it again.

Plot your points using the smallest possible mark on your map sheet and then write down any and all pertinent information on either a small index card or tear a sheet off your notebook and place this inside the map case for quick reference.

Pace Count: We covered our pace counts in an earlier piece as well. Knowing your pace is very important, and even more so in the dark, since terrain association is generally much harder in the dark. How different is your pace count with all of your kit, to include your rucksack on? As we said earlier, your pace count will vary between day and night and it will increase as you tire. And depending on the type of terrain that you are operating in.

In time, you’ll become a seasoned pro at this and will know just by the conditions that you are dealing with what your pace count will be. And it will change over time. My pace with just web gear on flat terrain was 62 back in the days of Phase 1 at Camp Mackall.

But with a rucksack and a heavy load, it went up to 73. But I noticed after I had been in Special Forces for a few years, where rucking becomes like second nature, my pace counted lessened to between 68-69 depending on conditions. You’ll find that you will have similar results.

Keep a good pace count and using those checkpoints along your route, you’ll have immediate feedback on how accurate your pace is. Occasionally, you will lose track of your pace count. It happens. We’ve all done it. Don’t sweat it. If it happens to you, take a good guess at how far you’ve gone and try to keep an accurate pace from there forward.

Secure Your Gear: I know, this sounds ridiculous, but better a red face than a dead face right? Lose your map, protractor, compass or heaven forbid, your weapon and you’ll quickly find yourself on the truck ride from hell.

But remove all chance of this unfortunate (and very common) occurrence from happening to you. Every class that I was a cadre member of in SFAS had at least one candidate losing either a map, protractor or a compass. We had a saying that the draws in Hoffman feed off of land navigation students gear. And I doubt seriously that much has changed there.

Get a good smaller map case, preferably one with a lanyard and tie it or snap link it to your gear and then stuff it into your shirt, where it is easily accessible. You don’t need one of those huge map cases that the mech guys used to be so fond of inside of their vehicles. Fold up your map so that the terrain you’re walking in is the only part showing. It makes it much easier to find where you are.

So, this would seem like an apt place for a FOG anecdote, you know what FOG stands for …right? One morning, we were revalidating some of the land nav lanes in SFAS between classes. Down in the Bones Fork Creek area (you’ll get intimately familiar with), I came to the edge of a perfectly oval depression about 20-25 meters across. And it was only 100-200 meters from the point we were looking for. The bottom of the depression had very little vegetation and the sides were only 2-3 feet high so crossing it seemed like a snap.

Once inside, I stopped for a second and thought to double check my map sheet to see if it was marked on the map (it wasn’t) and to make a note of it for future reference. I pulled out my map case to take a look. At that moment, at my feet, I noticed 5-6 snakes (the poisonous variety) were almost underfoot.

“Jesus H. F***ing Christ!” I leaped over the assorted no shouldered reptilians that would have made an Olympic broad jumper proud. At that point, I cleared the depression faster than Lance Armstrong on all of his PEDs ever dreamed of going,…downhill on a 30-degree slope on his bicycle at the Tour de France.

I didn’t slow down for a good 50 meters and had my map case, compass and whatever else hadn’t been tied down, they’d have been gone. I got to the point in short order and my bud Doug P. was already there. “I heard you yell, you fall down”, he asked? When I relayed the story, he laughed. “I love my f***ing job! Best one I’ve ever had,” he said.

Tie your shit down…you’ll thank me later.

Move Quickly: One of the things that you’ll have to get good at and quickly is being able to move out in the darkness and cover some ground. Special Operations Forces own the night and the only way to get really good at it is to practice. And you’ll get plenty of it during practice night land navigation.

And the most useful feature of your compass at night is the bezel ring. If you’re following a basic azimuth, rotate your bezel ring so that your North seeking arrow aligns with the luminous bubble. So, say if you are traveling on an azimuth of 65 degrees, your North seeking arrow will be in the approximate 10 o’clock position, rotate the bezel ring so the bubble aligns with the North seeking arrow and it is a quick way to keep on your azimuth, especially in the dark.

Also, remember that each click in the bezel ring is three degrees. Keeping your compass at waist level now will allow you to move out quicker. Once the luminous dot and the North seeking arrow are aligned you are moving in the right direction.

If the terrain and conditions allow it, then shoot a point in the distance and move to it. But as we said above, you don’t want to be doing dead reckoning for long distances in the dark. Once you get better at it, terrain association is faster, easier and will allow you to find your way without getting lost. Your pace count then becomes just another way to check your progress and reference where you are on your map checks.

Just a few reminders, your visual range estimation is likely to be well off during the darkness. And your pace count, depending on the terrain is likely to vary a bit. And finally, your natural drift will likely be intensified in the dark, you’ll quickly find this out as you find yourself on the course. Natural drift is the way people walk. While you may believe you’re walking a straight line, most people, over time will drift either left or right. One way to combat this and I’ve heard this works for many navigators is to change hands holding your compass frequently.

Working and operating in the dark is a Special Operations specialty. It will come in time. And of course you’ll have NVGs then but not in Selection. Don’t let anything get in the way of your preparation and planning. Give it your all and you’ll pass.

Photo: DOD

Finding Your Location by Resection, Land Nav 101

Our previous articles in the last week or so have centered upon getting back to the basics of land navigation. It is imperative that all of these skills and they are the basics of finding your way in the field, become second nature to all of the candidates who aspire to be in the Special Operations community.

The Land Navigation course for SFAS also known as the Star Course in Hoffman, NC outside of Camp Mackall is the toughest individual land navigation course you will find in the U.S. military. You’ll be traveling several kilometers between points and the terrain is filled with thickets, swamps and low-level terrain where a hilltop on the map may look more like an anthill on the ground.

That’s why it is imperative for all of the candidates to learn the basics of land navigation to the point where you could teach a class on any of it, keep a cool head and prepare. As we’ve said here many times, land navigation requires as much prep and practice as any other perishable skill.

But also remember, that you’ll be only asked to pass the same course that thousands of other candidates have passed before you. Although difficult, it is far from impossible. Don’t let the countless stories, usually perpetuated by those who failed the course, fill your heads with needless worry. Ignore the noise. Especially from those who didn’t get selected. Prepare to succeed, and you will.

So, today we’ll tackle a common issue for many candidates that find themselves on the land navigation course. This is the way of finding your exact location if you are unsure of your exact map placement.

The military definition of Resection for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to at two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

In layman’s terms, if you aren’t sure exactly where you are at and need to pinpoint your location and can see two or more distant points that are recognizable on your map sheet, you can shoot an azimuth to them and determine the back azimuth from those points to pinpoint your location.

For the purposes of doing it correctly you’ll need at least two known points but obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In a perfect world, the map and compass method is the way to go. But in reality, you’ll often in the real world use the modified Resection method, as often times, you may not have the luxury of having multiple points visible.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using your compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to the first of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth using the declination diagram.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position, if practical.

Where all of the lines intersect on your map is your location. Next, using your protractor, determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes. You’ve found your location. Easy, peasy…right?

Straightedge Method:

This method is a little bit differently but can still accurately find your position. To do so the successful navigator must follow these steps:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the edge of the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

This one sounds more difficult than what it truly is. However, where the intersection of the lines meet on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Resection Method:

The modified method is the least preferred and the least accurate method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or along a similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate. In a practical application, if you have to cross a thick draw or swampy area and are closing in on your point but aren’t sure of where you are after negotiating the thicket, do the steps outlined above. After identifying a far point, this will closely put you to where you are and then you can finalize your attack point and find your way.

You’ll find this little exercise a very helpful method anytime you are navigating your way in the field and aren’t entirely sure of where you are. Remember, any of these exercises that you aren’t entirely sure of conducting properly can be done with any map, compass, and protractor. Practice makes perfect. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Photos courtesy of Army Study Guide, author, DOD