Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps::The change would put the ASVAB on par with how test-taking has evolved in the past decade, with calculators being widely used in math classes and on college entrance exams such as the ACT and SAT.
why would you do math in your head if you had pen and paper?
Because you’re in the middle of a war?
Do logistics experts get shot at regularly?
And when they are shot at, are they expected to continue organizing supplies under fire?
Everyone has a role in an army. Not necessarily in the high stress world of Frontline infantry. But engineers design bridges for tanks to cross, while logistics counts food and bullets.
The weapons that do this stuff on the front lines are all computers today. M777 artillery automatically calculates based off of GPS and a computer. Distances on shorter weapons are calculated using laser rangefinders.
There remains a key group of soldiers who need to perform without computers due to low supply lines and extended missions behind enemy lines. But those are Commandos are called Army Rangers or Green Berets and are a very very small group in practice.
And mortar men and snipers?
Pen and paper readily available in a warzone isn’t common I believe… Just guessing, never been in an active warzone. Have tried to keep track of stuff doing multi days backpacking hiking trips. Finding a pen and paper in a hurry would suck.