Staff Ride Handbook: Planning and conducting Staff Rides

Practical pedagogical tools are central to officer training and these tools form part of a longstanding tradition, not just within the Swedish Defence University but also within the Swedish Armed Forces more broadly. Further, this sphere has always been prominent within the Swedish Defence University, with its long history of using methods including different forms of case studies, map manoeuvres, war games, staff rides, staff exercises and tactical problem solving. This handbook focuses on one of these pedagogical tools: the staff ride.

The handbook is laid out as follows: firstly, a presentation of the historical background to staff rides, along with a discussion of what a staff ride is and what types exist. Secondly, the focus moves to thoughts on planning and implementing a staff ride, in which we discuss the planning phase, lessons learned regarding the use of reconnaissance prior to implementation, and thoughts concerning the pedagogical aspect to the staff ride. Finally, the handbook closes with a discussion on how to plan and implement staff rides, both from practical and pedagogical perspectives. Here a schematic model is presented on the pedagogical dynamics of a staff ride as regards various target groups, based on their understanding and the varying complexities of staff rides.