FORT SILL, Okla. - Staff rides serve as an effective platform to convey the lessons of the past to the present day U.S. Army leadership for current application. Since 2005, Combat Studies Institute has provided the U.S. Army with a new platform for leader development with Virtual Staff Rides.
On December 11th, two CSI Instructors Gary Linhart and Florian Waitl came from Fort Leavenworth in Kansas to conduct a virtual staff ride with over 70 Leaders of the Lethal Strike Battalion at the Fort Sill Conference Center on Fort Sill.
These new staff rides feature 3D imagery produced largely from satellite imagery, photographs, video, and first-hand accounts from participants. This new staff ride leverages current technology to conduct an effective staff ride without leaving the classroom.
Lt. Col John Dawber said "My objectives were two-fold, first expose Leaders to the Virtual Staff Ride as another example of using virtual and simulated gaming platforms to still train while reducing costs in an increasingly fiscally constrained environment and to execute battalion-level leader development by studying battles conducted in the contemporary operational environment with emphasis on leader intellect, adaptability and agility utilizing historical battles focused on principles of war."
The three battles studied were Checkpoint 541, The Ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company and The Palm Sunday Ambush. These three are prime examples of what a Contingency Expeditionary Force or CEF may face within an austere environment. With the battalion postured to assume the CEF mission in the coming months, the staff ride served as a training tool to allow the Leaders within the battalion to think outside the box.
"Attending this staff ride allowed me to better understand the challenges faced by leaders," said Charlie Battery, Fire Control Platoon Leader, 2nd Lt Sallena Samuel.
"It demonstrated the importance of Soldiers to remain prepared because anyone could find themselves at a critical point where a decision must be made."
At the conclusion of the Staff Ride, the Leaders of 3-2 ADA gained valuable insight into operating within a contemporary operational environment and learned the importance of being prepared.
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