National Staff Ride Workshop - Battle of San Pasqual

MWelcome to the National Staff Ride Workshop 2018 sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.  This is a BY INVITATION ONLY event.  If you were directed to this website and asked to register, you're probably on the list!  Here are some initial thoughts from the Battle of San Pasqual Staff Ride...

From June 1846 through January 1847, the Army of the West, commanded by Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny, marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to San Diego, California, annexed New Mexico and Arizona without firing a shot, and gained California for the United States after three engagements. During the campaign, Kearny’s command varied in size from 1,700 Missouri volunteers and U.S. Army Dragoons to fewer than two hundred soldiers, sailors, and Marines, and California volunteers. Histories of the campaign have focused on the Battle of San Pasqual and General Kearny’s orders before and during the battle in an attempt to explain why things went poorly for United States forces. Kearny’s campaign provides tremendous insight into the operational level of war, tactical actions linked toward the accomplishment of strategic goals, because he achieved robust territorial gains that facilitated the United States’ expansion to the Pacific Ocean with small and diverse forces. 

What techniques do you use as a leader to build unit cohesion?  How do you gain and maintain trust relationships between all those entrusted to your care?  How do you personally prepare to lead your organizations through perilous situations to safety?  Are you prepared to clearly and effectively communicate your intent to others in a fluid and dynamic environment?  How much will you personally sacrifice to protect those in your charge?

We welcome you as 21st century leaders to spend time discussing the very fluid and rapidly changing operating environment of the 1840s in what is today San Diego County.  Having completed our preliminary studies, we gather together for the field study phase of the staff ride, walking the ground of the San Pasqual Battlefield, where the national policies and strategies of nations drove tactical actions by small unit leaders.  After we walk and talk together, we will break bread and share drink as we begin the integration phase of the staff ride, which will continue into the future as we each return to our leadership positions and pass on lessons learned to future generations.   

Following the Battle of San Pasqual Staff Ride on Tuesday 6 Feb, we will spend two full days building YOUR local fire staff ride.  Your development team should come prepared with ideas like those above to develop your own staff ride as mentored by the Battle of San Pasqual Staff Ride cadre.

Register Now!Here is our schedule...more e-mails will follow each week as we get closer to the event...