The US Army is going digital, but soldiers still want physical backups of their battlefield maps

Soldiers are learning to use new technology while keeping physical copies available in case the connection goes down. US Army photo by Spc. Jonathan Reyes US Army soldiers are testing a wave of new digital tools and weapons. Some troops still rely on analog backups in case digital systems lose connection. How much soldiers trust the new technology can come down to comfort level. The US Army is embracing a massive digital transformation across systems and technologies, but that doesn't mean soldiers are ready to give up their physical, analog backups any time soon. At a recent experimentation exercise at Fort Irwin in California, soldiers tested new digital maps and communications systems that Army leaders described as a major jump forward in streamlining decision-making. But troops said they still wanted physical counterparts for redundancy, ensuring they had fallback plans if network connections were lost.