Tactical Route Planning in map.army

Plan a complex tactical route by combining an external routing tool with map.army. This recipe turns a free-form route built in Google My Maps (or any tool that exports KML) into a MilX layer that accepts the full tactical-graphics editor — so you can add checkpoints, phase lines, release points, and other military symbology on top.

Hint: This workflow sends your route to Google. Google My Maps stores the map you draw on Google’s servers, and the routing service sees every waypoint you enter. Do not plan a real operation, exercise or movement this way. Use it for training, for public-interest routes, or for anything you would be content to publish — and place the route directly in map.army with on-map point editing when the geometry itself is sensitive.

When to use this workflow

Use this recipe when you need:

  • A route with many waypoints (Google My Maps supports routes with up to ~10 waypoints out of the box).
  • Road-following geometry rather than straight-line segments between points (Google’s routing service computes the path along real roads).
  • The finished route as a MilX layer that you can extend with tactical symbology — checkpoints, release points, named phase lines.

Workflow overview

Google My Maps          map.army (Vector layer)         map.army (MilX layer)
─────────────────       ─────────────────────────          ─────────────────────────
Draw route, set     →   Import KML as vector      →   Convert vector layer to MilX
waypoints, export       layer; verify placement       and add tactical symbology
KML
Route workflow: draw a route with waypoints, import it as a vector layer, convert it to a MilX layer with symbols.

In the diagram: 1 draw the route and waypoints in Google My Maps; 2 import the KML as a vector layer; 3 convert it to a MilX layer and add symbology.

Step 1 — Plan the route in Google My Maps

  1. Open Google My Maps and create a new map.
  2. Add a route layer and click the Add directions tool.
  3. Click each waypoint along the desired path in order. Google routes between waypoints along roads.
  4. When finished, open the map’s menu and choose Export to KML/KMZ. Pick KML (not KMZ) and download the file.

Step 2 — Import the KML as a vector layer

map.army Layers panel, Vector Layers - Local tab, ready to select a folder and import a KML file
  1. In map.army, open Layers → Load Layer.
  2. Pick the KML file you exported from Google My Maps. The route appears as a vector layer.
  3. Verify the geometry — pan and zoom to confirm the route follows the path you expected.

See Import Overlays — Vector Layers for the general import workflow and KML-import notes (icon references from KML are not preserved on import; the geometry is what matters here).

Step 3 — Convert the vector layer to a MilX layer

The vector layer carries geometry only — to add tactical-graphics editing, convert it to a MilX layer:

  1. Find the imported vector layer in the Layers panel. The convert icon sits on the layer’s own row, alongside download and visibility — it is not inside the settings dialog. Its tooltip reads Convert the layer to MilX and add it to the project.

    Vector layer row 'Route' in the map.army Layers panel, with the convert icon ringed next to the eye and bin icons

  2. Click it.

  3. The route is now a MilX line; the layer is editable with the full tactical-graphics editor.

Step 4 — Add tactical symbology on top

A 'CKP' (checkpoint) tactical graphic placed on the map.army map, added on top of an imported route

With the route now in a MilX layer, place additional symbols at relevant points along the route:

  • Checkpoints, release points, and phase lines as tactical graphics from the Symbol Gallery.
  • Unit symbols for the elements moving along the route, on the same or a separate layer.
  • Range rings for engagement zones along the route — see Map Tools → Range Rings.

Save the result as .milxlyz or share it via a MilX share link — see How to create a share.

Notes and limitations

  • Waypoint count. Google My Maps’ free routing supports about 10 waypoints per route. For longer routes, plan in segments and join the resulting vector layers in map.army.
  • KML icon references assigned in Google My Maps are not preserved on import — every feature gets the same generic base symbol, taken from a fixed template rather than inferred from the KML. The route’s geometry survives. To give those features a real symbol, open one in the MSS Symbol Editor and use Base Symbol… — see Import Overlays. That is a different step from adding new tactical graphics on top.
  • Coordinate accuracy is bounded by Google My Maps’ precision (typically several metres). For exact-coordinate planning, place tactical graphics directly in map.army using on-map editing or the point list.

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