Staff ride

The term staff ride describes three different types of military exercises and examinations, usually conducted on a particular future battlefield and/or area of operation for the purpose of preliminary reconnaissance, terrain study and tactical preparation.

[2][3][4] The classic staff ride (a direct translation of the German term Stabs-Reise) is a technique made famous by Helmuth von Moltke the Elder in the second half of the nineteenth century.

These exercises served the double purpose of training staff officers to appreciate the operational and strategic significance of particular pieces of terrain and informing contingency planning.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Army revived the staff ride, replacing horses with buses and automobiles; expanding the range of battles and operations studied well beyond those of the American Civil War; and extending the opportunity to participate to soldiers of all ranks and specialties.

In some instances, the Leavenworth staff ride consists of a guided tour of the battlefield, with explanations provided by military historians, park rangers, or others with expertise on the events in question.