A military staff ride concentrates more on the analysis of operations rather than on providing an historical narrative. As a formal military training activity, its objectives are of direct relevance to the training audience concerned. In their original form, staff rides – such as those organized by the Prussian Great General Staff in the nineteenth century – were designed as map exercises for the staff and conducted in open terrain largely from the saddle. Hence the term ‘staff ride’ came into use.
What Is a Military Staff Ride
- For about 150 years, military personnel have participated in an on-battlefield-location training and development program known as the staff ride. A military staff ride is a historical study of a campaign or battle that envisions a systematic preliminary study phase, an extensive field study phase on the actual historic site and an integration phase to capture the lessons derived from each. The staff ride is a powerful instrument for professional development and education of the military leaders and it is aimed at various military schools, headquarters, staffs and field units.
- Staff rides represent a unique and persuasive method of conveying the lessons of the past to the present-day army leadership for current application. Properly conducted , these exercises bring to life, on the very terrain where historic encounters took place, examples, applicable today as in the past, of leadership, tactics and strategy , communications , use of terrain, and. above all, the psychology of men in battle.
- This historical study, particularly with personal reconnaissance, offers valuable opportunities to develop professional leadership and the capacity for effective use of combined arms on the modern battlefield.
Objectives
- To expose participants to the dynamics of battle, especially those factors which interact to produce victory and defeat.
- To expose participants to the face of battle, the timeless human dimensions of warfare.
- To provide case studies in the application of the principles of war.
- To expose participants to the dynamics of battle, especially those factors which interact to produce victory and defeat.
- To provide case studies in the operational art and campaign.
- To provide case studies in combined arms operations.
- To provide case studies in the relationship between technology and doctrine.
- To provide case studies in mission command and leadership, at any level desired.
- To provide case studies in unit cohesion.
- To provide case studies in how logistical considerations affect operations.
- To show the effects of terrain upon plans and their implementation.
- To provide an analytical framework for the systematic study of campaigns and battles.
- To encourage officers to study their profession through the use of military history.
What we Do
In Greece, some of the most pivotal battles in world history were fought, from ancient to modern times. Our staff rides vary from one day to one week in length and utilize classroom and great battlefields as intensive case studies. Our staff rides are organized in two ways either on chronological order, like Persian Wars or Peloponnesian War or in thematic modules throughout the centuries. Thematic modules include phalanx battles (Greek, Macedonian, and Roman), naval battles, fortifications and sieges, leadership lessons drawn from battlefields, irregular warfare, special operations and military operations in the cities. Some of our most important programs are:
Staff Rides by Chronological Order
Persian Wars
- Marathon
- Thermopylae
- Artemisium
- Salamis
- Plataea
Peloponnesian War
- Pnyx – Defence of Attica
- Delion
- Mantinea
- Pylos – Sphacteria
4th Century BC Battles
- Leuctra, Mantinea, Chaeronea
First World War
- Macedonian Front campaign
Second World War
- Albanian Front campaign
- Metaxas Fortifications Line campaign
- British Expeditionary Force retreat
- Battle of Crete
Staff Rides by Thematic Order
Leadership Lessons*
- Miltiades
- Themistocles
- Epaminondas
- Alexander
Naval Battles
- Salamis
- Lepanto
- Actium
- Navarin
Phalanx vs Legion (Greeks vs Romans)
- Cynoscephalae
- Pydna
Roman Battles
- Pharsalus
- Philippi
Irregular/Hybrid Warfare
- Sphacteria (Peloponnesian War, 425 BC)
- Tripoli (Greek Revolution, 1821)
- Dervenakia (Greek Revolution, 1822)
- Athens (Civil War, 1944)
Airborn Operations (WWII)
- Corinth Canal
- Crete
- Cos
- Leros
Special Operations (WWII)
- Operation Harling (Gorgopotamos, 1942)
- Operation Albumen (Crete, 1942)
- Operation Anglo (Rhodes island, 1942)
- Operation Bricklayer (Crete, 1944)
- Operation Tenement (Symi island, 1944)
(*Leadership lessons are drawn from every battlefield but these are the most prominent leaders)