Definitions

Staff Ride

A staff ride is a field study, conducted either onsite where the event occurred or virtually with the aid of technology, for the purpose of engaging in critical thought, military problem solving and professional discourse. As a PME tool, staff rides link real historical events, deliberate preliminary study and physical and/or virtual examination, as well as follow-on informed debate and discussion, to modern-day problems that soldiers are likely to face in their day-to-day work both at home and abroad. As such, staff rides require participants to engage in the process, and they typically involve some degree of participant role-playing.

Battlefield Tour

A battlefield tour is a professional development activity that typically focuses on heritage, culture, commemoration and remembrance. Unlike staff rides, battlefield tours do not require deliberate preliminary study by the participants to be successful, nor is there any expectation that participants will engage in post-tour study or activity. Battlefield tours are typically conducted using a Socratic method, with a guide / subject-matter expert narrating events and participants asking questions. These tours often include cultural and heritage activities, as well as visitations to significant and sacred places for the purpose of remembrance.

Tactical Exercise Without Troops

A tactical exercise without troops involves the examination of a hypothetical scenario employing current doctrinal concepts, using either conceptual or actual orders of battle (ORBAT) on actual terrain. While TEWTs may take place on an actual battlefield, their relationship to historical events is usually coincidental, as it is the study of terrain and hypothetical elements—not actual events—that drives participant learning in this activity.