With the introduction of more technology into the daily duties of military personnel... Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?

2013-10-30T07:51:46-04:00

Technology as all but taken over. I remember when I was a IET First Sergeant we had a power outage on post which meant that no computers were working so production slowed to a halt and the schoolhouse closed. All of the trainees were sent back to the unit instead of instructors doing training from the manuals.

Now you see people giving PRT from their smart phones. Barely anyone uses books anymore. Does this make a stronger or weaker military? Your thoughts?

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2013 10:30 AM

2013-10-30T10:30:35-04:00

In my opinion it could do both. We need to understand on training that if electronics goes down there needs to be a contingency plan to keep the training. I am a big technology person but my MOS, we do not use most of it unless doing reports. So we always go by manuals that we have at the school house. Technology is making us lazier, we would rather just use the technology rather than remember things like we used to. But on the other hand it can be cheaper to create an application for a phone because everyone has one they could just download it and use that. Even if computers go down people are going to have their phone.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2013 12:13 AM

2013-11-01T00:13:28-04:00

There is a time and a place for technology. In certain situations, it creates greater progress. In other situations, it creates greater laziness. We must learn to utilize technology to our advantage because if we reject it completely, we lose our edge as an organization. For example, BFTs and Garmins are great for battle tracking, but as soldiers, we must maintain the perishable skill of map reading (with lensatic compass)/ land navigation.

Response by CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2013 1:38 PM

2013-11-01T13:38:47-04:00

Guess who gets the brunt of a technology issue? Commo. We rely too heavily on computers and technology, but that is the world we live in. We also ensure that there are redundant systems in place where it matters, to ensure that we can continue to work when needed. Some things are beyond our hands and are unforeseen. Apps are handy to use. I will admit to be one that has used my smartphone to get PRT, its convenient and does not require a big heavy book or binder that I need to carry around.

Response by CMC Robert Young made Nov 2 at 2013 11:54 AM

2013-11-02T11:54:21-04:00

We have experienced similar problems. For some time now, the Coast Guard has been developing a paperless system for all of its regulations, training materials and tech manuals all of which are unavailable the minute the power goes out or the local area server crashes. It brings work to a standstill. Additionally, younger members are so dependent on the e-material that they have difficulty functioning if it's not available.

Response by SFC James Baber made Dec 24 at 2013 10:25 PM

2013-12-24T22:25:26-05:00

I think it is that 50/50 mix issue, some are very beneficial, but also some are problematic for numerous reasons, one people become to reliant on some technologies and don't know how to do the task or duty when the tech aspect is down or not available. I can't tell you how many times I had units say they couldn't give morning reports because the net was down or their computer was not working at the time, and I would tell them pull out the form that should still be in their files somewhere make a copy of the blank if needed and fill it out by hand and walk their "happy ass" across the quad and bring it to BN/BDE for the proper forwarding for the next level, it is how we did it before the Internet.

I usually heard the dead silence on the other end as they had no clue what to do, and these were usually were senior NCOs or Officers who were dumbfounded at what to do.