^* FM 21-26

Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
7 May 1993

FM 21-26

MAP READING AND LAND NAVIGATION

Table of Contents

PREFACE

PART ONE - MAP READING

CHAPTER 1 - TRAINING STRATEGY

1-1. THE BUILDING-BLOCK APPROACH

1-2. ARMYWIDE IMPLEMENTATION

1-3. SAFETY

CHAPTER 2 - MAPS

2-1. DEFINITION

2-2. PURPOSE

2-3. PROCUREMENT

2-4. SECURITY

2-5. CARE

2-6. CATEGORIES

2-7. MILITARY MAP SUBSTITUTES

2-8. STANDARDS OF ACCURACY

CHAPTER 3 - MARGINAL INFORMATION AND SYMBOLS

3-1. MARGINAL INFORMATION ON A MILITARY MAP

3-2. ADDITIONAL NOTES

3-3. TOPOGRAPHIC MAP SYMBOLS

3-4. MILITARY SYMBOLS

3-5. COLORS USED ON A MILITARY MAP

CHAPTER 4 - GRIDS

4-1. REFERENCE SYSTEM

4-2. GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES

4-3. MILITARY GRIDS

4-4. THE US ARMY MILITARY GRID REFERENCE SYSTEM

4-5. LOCATING A POINT USING GRID COORDINATES

4-6. LOCATING A POINT USING THE US ARMY MILITARY GRID REFERENCE SYSTEM

4-7. GRID REFERENCE BOX

4-8. OTHER GRID SYSTEMS

4-9. PROTECTION OF MAP COORDINATES AND LOCATIONS

CHAPTER 5 - SCALE AND DISTANCE

5-1. REPRESENTATIVE FRACTION

5-2. GRAPHIC (BAR) SCALES

5-3. OTHER METHODS

CHAPTER 6 - DIRECTION

6-1. METHODS OF EXPRESSING DIRECTION

6-2. BASE LINE

6-3. AZIMUTHS

6-4. GRID AZIMUTHS

6-5. PROTRACTOR

6-6. DECLINATION DIAGRAM

6-7. INTERSECTION

6-8. RESECTION

6-9. MODIFIED RESECTION

6-10. POLAR COORDINATES

CHAPTER 7 - OVERLAYS

7-1. PURPOSE

7-2. MAP OVERLAY

7-3. AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OVERLAY

CHAPTER 8 - AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

8-1. COMPARISON WITH MAPS

8-2. TYPES

8-3. TYPES OF FILM

8-4. NUMBERING AND TITLING INFORMATION

8-5. SCALE DETERMINATION

8-6. INDEXING

8-7. ORIENTING OF PHOTOGRAPH

8-8. POINT DESIGNATION GRID

8-9. IDENTIFICATION OF PHOTOGRAPH FEATURES

8-10. STEREOVISION

PART TWO - LAND NAVIGATION

CHAPTER 9 - NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT AND METHODS

9-1. TYPES OF COMPASSES

9-2. LENSATIC COMPASS

9-3. COMPASS HANDLING

9-4. USING A COMPASS

9-5. FIELD-EXPEDIENT METHODS

9-6. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

CHAPTER 10 - ELEVATION AND RELIEF

10-1. DEFINITIONS

10-2. METHODS OF DEPICTING RELIEF

10-3. CONTOUR INTERVALS

10-4. TYPES OF SLOPES

10-5. PERCENTAGE OF SLOPE

10-6. TERRAIN FEATURES

10-7. INTERPRETATION OF TERRAIN FEATURES

10-8. PROFILES

CHAPTER 11 - TERRAIN ASSOCIATION

11-1. ORIENTING THE MAP

11-2. LOCATIONS

11-3. TERRAIN ASSOCIATION USAGE

11-4. TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

11-5. MOVEMENT AND ROUTE SELECTION

11-6. NAVIGATION METHODS

11-7. NIGHT NAVIGATION

CHAPTER 12 - MOUNTED LAND NAVIGATION

12-1. PRINCIPLES

12-2. NAVIGATION'S DUTIES

12-3. MOVEMENT

12-4. TERRAIN ASSOCIATION NAVIGATION

12-5. DEAD RECKONING NAVIGATION

12-6. STABILIZED TURRET ALIGNMENT NAVIGATION

12-7. COMBINATION NAVIGATION

CHAPTER 13 - NAVIGATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TERRAIN

13-1. DESERT TERRAIN

13-2. MOUNTAIN TERRAIN

13-3. JUNGLE TERRAIN

13-4. ARCTIC TERRAIN

13-5. URBAN AREAS

CHAPTER 14 - UNIT SUSTAINMENT

14-1. SET UP A SUSTAINMENT PROGRAM

14-2. SET UP A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER PROGRAM

14-3. SET UP A LAND NAVIGATION COURSE

APPENDIX A - FIELD SKETCHING

APPENDIX B - MAP FOLDING TECHNIQUES

APPENDIX C - UNITS OF MEASURE AND CONVERSION FACTORS

APPENDIX D - JOINT OPERATIONS GRAPHICS

APPENDIX E - EXPORTABLE TRAINING MATERIAL

APPENDIX F - ORIENTEERING

APPENDIX G - M2 COMPASS

APPENDIX H - ADDITIONAL AIDS

APPENDIX I - FOREIGN MAPS

APPENDIX J - GLOBAL POSITIONS SYSTEM

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES

AUTHORIZATION LETTER

DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

^*This publication supersedes FM 21-26, 30 September 1987.