Types of Staff Rides

Physical

A physical staff ride is conducted onsite or as close to the site of the actual events as possible. Whereas the study of a battle may involve only one site and can perhaps be executed in a day or two, for the study of operations and campaigns it will often be necessary to visit multiple sites over an extended period of time. Physical staff rides often require greater administration and logistics to execute, but they provide the best learning experience for students.

Virtual

A virtual staff ride is conducted elsewhere, often remotely in a battle lab or a similar forum. It is a viable alternative form of staff riding when the actual sites are either inaccessible or not easily accessed without considerable cost or logistics. A virtual staff ride can facilitate the study of operations and campaigns by saving time that would have been spent moving from site to site; however, what it saves in time and logistics, it loses in the fidelity and detail that can be derived only from physical onsite study. Still, it provides a very good learning experience for students.