For those of us in the military, the humble GPS unit is far more than a luxury, in fact GPS is a necessity. GPS units allow soldiers and officers to get accurate and timely data such as location, altitude and time. In many cases, these rudimentary pieces of data would be almost impossible to obtain without the help of GPS technology, and can prove invaluable in real time scenarios, albeit training or the real deal.

GPS units have become an especially valuable tool in the context of indirect fire support. The ability to coordinate artillery and fast air support has been greatly enhanced with the advent of GPS. This is primarily due to the fact that GPS allows men in the field to accurately reference their position and hence calculate their proximity to targets. Essentially, this greatly reduces the inherent dangers of being on the ground during live firing.