As a leader do you feel that Land Navigation should be taken out from the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development System (NCOPDS)?

Absolutely not. There is a time and place for technology. By the same token, there's a time and place for good old fashion elbow grease. Land Nav is more than just reading a map, it's about utilizing your brain and critical thinking skills to solve a problem. It's about overcoming your dependence on technology and proving to yourself that you have survival skills. There is a lot to be said about character building in doing things without technology. Wax on, wax off. Mr. Miagi didn't use a car wash for a reason.

Land Navigation is the most important part of Leadership Development. What happens when your GPS goes out. Also it sets direction in life.

Simple! NO!

No

Two words NO WAY it is an important part of NCO development

NO! As has been said before - it's basic soldiering; it never hurts to reinforce the skill and maybe even take it further. In peacetime a leader who can't read a map is funny. In combat, it can be deadly. And we can't always depend on having GPS and GPS isn't always accurate. Just ask anyone who's tried to find my house using it.

This is a joke, right?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Land Nav is a basic soldier skill that the soldier should always be proficient at. Technology can fail, fundamentals will get the soldier to the objective.

What in God's name for, SFC (Join to see)?

This might not be a popular response but land navigation is not something that should be required at NCOPDS. This is a skill level 1 task that needs to be trained and practiced at the unit. NCOPDS at the lowest level is to teach skill level 2 tasks at BLC, not skill level one tasks. If it is incorporated into another leader task then I am on board with it but just moving alone and finding points is a unit requirement to train.