Analysts need to understand and visualize basic information about places and objects of interest. Analysts might be tasked with identifying "How far apart are two geographic locations?" or "Can I visualize the range of a weapon system?" Using the Distance and Direction tools, you can draw lines, circles, ellipses and range rings to visualize important information. More information can be found at http://solutions.arcgis.com/defense/help/military-tools/web-appbuilder/distance-and-direction-introduction.htm.