INTRODUCTION

​

In 2013, the Chief of the General Staff directed the British Army to ‘mark the centenary of the First World War in a dignified, reflective and respectful manner to commemorate the sacrifice of our forebears, learn enduring lessons and educate ourselves and others’.  

​

OPERATION REFLECT is the name given to the Army’s approach to FIRST WORLD WAR centenary commemorations and learning.  

 

Drawing on experience from Army Staff Ride 14 and 16, the Army will conduct the final Staff Ride of OPERATION REFLECT to France in October 2018, examining significant major operations during the final year of the FIRST WORLD WAR, through to the Armistice of 11th  November 2018.

 

ARMY STAFF RIDE 18 will be preceded by a Study Day on 20 Oct for all participants. This will mark the formal start of the Army’s 2018 centenary commemorations of the FIRST WORLD WAR and highlight its enduring relevance to contemporary military planning and geopolitical circumstances. 

AIM

 

The principle aim of the stand is to set the tone for all participants ahead of deployment on the Army Staff Ride in France. Noting the centrality of logistics in the final stages of the war the stand must contribute to the overarching discussion  of how mobility was restored to operations in 1918.  

 

The secondary aim will be to explore both the themes of scale & rapid technological change and medical advancements.