Take a young Soldier out to the woods these days. Hand them a compass, protractor and a map, then be pleased if they don't ask you what those are, be even happier if they know how to use it!
I could tell you some stories!
That is a very old complaint. I believe 1st Baron Baden-Powell also had that complaint.
Then he created the Boy Scouts.
Lack of woodsman ship skills goes back a very long ways. Nearly to the inception of modern wars, but I suspect that if historians bothered to pay attention at the time, they would have written about it of the Roman Legions.
Large armies are always predominately fielded from the largest population bases, which are typically the cities.
I learned more about land navigation in Philmont Scout Ranch than I ever did in the Marine Corps. By the time I made it to Pendleton, I rarely needed a compass at all if I had a good topo map.
I agree with you entirely that it is a problem, but I disagree that it is an ailment due solely to the modern society.
How many service men could actually set up a solid bivouac site without modern comforts? How far from the water source should you position sleeping arrangements? Where do designate camp cleaning in relation to where you draw water from? How and where do you dig your latrine pits? Is the area subject to flash flooding?
Baden-Powell recognized this and as a solution began the boy scouts to prepare the English youth for future service.