Resources and Education Aids

In today’s connected world, there is an abundance of resources and education aids that one may draw from to support staff ride development. For Canada’s army, one of the best sources is its PME website, Line of Sight. Additionally, the Fort Frontenac Library at the Canadian Army Command and Staff College offers a trove of resources and documents, many of which are available either via the Line of Sight website or through traditional interlibrary requests and loans.

Staff ride leaders should take the time to prepare a simple yet adequate read-in package for delivery to the students during the preliminary study phase. It need not be exhaustive, but it should offer enough to get the student started in the right direction. Packages should be dynamic and contain a mix of materials— maps, photos, copies of original documents and primary sources—and, where a contentious subject is being examined, a sample of opposing views and debates. This material will help bring the topic to life for the students and facilitate their investment in the staff ride during all phases.

Information sourced for the students should be as accurate as possible, and factually based even when the choice is made to include differing perspectives or points of view. Pure conjecture and conspiracy pieces should generally be avoided, though in some cases these discussions during the field and lab study phase can sometimes prove useful to the examination of certain subjects.

Lastly, do not burden the students too much during the preliminary phase. Read-in packages should give just enough to enable the student to participate fully in the next phase. Those who want to gain further insight are free to pursue additional sources as they see fit. In the end, the staff ride should be an enjoyable learning experience that leaves the students talking about it even after the formal activity is over.

Administration and Logistics

The administration and logistics of planning for a staff ride will differ greatly depending on the topic chosen. Staff leaders should give themselves sufficient lead time to plan for travel, meals and accommodation as needed if heading out on a physical staff ride, or for appropriate levels of space and information technology (IT) support if undertaking a virtual staff ride in garrison. Either way, keep planning as simple as possible so as not to jeopardize one’s time during the staff ride itself— you do not want to be dealing with administrative issues in the middle of a staff ride when you should be leading students through the topic at hand.

Beyond The Staff Ride

There are many ways to continue with individual PME beyond the staff ride. Those who show skill as communicators should be strongly encouraged to organize and share their experiences and insights from the staff ride through some form of publication. A summary of what they have learned could be provided in a report to other Army organizations to assist with their own work, or even turned into a podcast, a webinar, a website media entry, or an article for a professional or scholarly journal.

Another option might involve making a contribution to another ongoing project. For example, soldiers recently returned from a staff ride examining a battle that involved their regiment might use what they learned to improve some aspect of their garrison or regimental museum. Knowledge gained from staff rides might lead to a professional development activity for the local military community, the creation of a display or the improvement of existing information already posted.

Final Thoughts

The aim of the staff ride is to foster critical thought, military problem solving and professional discourse amongst soldiers. Although traditional military historical subjects offer a ready venue for the development of these skills in a practical sense, staff rides should not confine themselves to studying only strategy and tactics. Modern land forces face many challenges all along the capability development continuum, from force generation through to its employment. A properly prepared staff ride can reveal any of these subjects to students and invite them to engage in examining them from a fresh perspective. The choices are nearly endless.