Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Soldiers from the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team prepare for the start of the 2nd...... read more read more
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With wars around the world rewriting the rules of combat in real time, the Washington National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team pulled more than 200 leaders for the second annual Maneuver Warfare Symposium on Dec. 5, 2025 at Camp Murray. This year’s event was aimed to prepare to fight and win on tomorrow’s battlefield.
“This was a ‘once-in-a-career’ gathering of strategic minds,” said Col. Craig Broyles, commander of the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and one of the event’s organizers. “This symposium has rapidly evolved into one of the Guard’s most important intellectual events, an exclusive forum dedicated to maneuver warfare, decision advantage, and the mindset required to fight outnumbered and win.”
From its inception, the symposium was built around a simple but powerful idea: that smaller forces can defeat larger adversaries through superior thinking, agility, and decentralized execution. Broyles, whose book Fight Outnumbered and Win outlines these principles, has long argued that maneuver warfare must remain at the heart of how the brigade trains and prepares for future conflict. That conviction helped spark the inaugural symposium in Feb. 2025 and continues to drive its growth today.
“Winning in a fight when you are outnumbered takes mental preparedness and that can be hard,” said Broyles. “So for this year’s symposium we wanted to bring the experts together who can convey the message and show how it can be done.”
This year’s lineup brought together some of the most influential figures in modern military thought. LTC (Ret.) Dave Grossman, renowned author of On Killing and On Combat, offered deep insight into the psychology of warfare and the stresses soldiers face in modern combat. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Tony Aguto, who previously led the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine, provided rare firsthand perspective on the evolving character of conflict following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Their contributions, symposium organizers noted, grounded the day’s discussions in real-time lessons from contemporary battlefields.
“These are the guys that have been doing this for some time now,” said Broyles.
Marine Corps strategist Ian Brown and longtime maneuver warfare advocate Jim Greer were among the most anticipated speakers. Greer’s partnership with Broyles dates back to their time together at U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies and played a central role in launching the symposium itself. Additional experts, including military historian Dr. Brian Steed, broadened the conversation with presentations on maneuver philosophy, information advantage, and the importance of narrative control in modern conflict.
The symposium didn’t shy away from emerging challenges either. Bill Edwards, an authority on counter-unmanned aerial systems, opened the event with a virtual briefing from Germany on how drones, robotics, and precision sensing are reshaping the battlefield. His presentation reinforced a recurring theme: that technological adaptation is no longer optional but essential.
Throughout the day, attendees participated in discussions, Q&A sessions, and virtual wargaming exercises that allowed soldiers from all ranks to test ideas against real-world scenarios. The event served as an intellectual bridge directly into the brigade’s upcoming externally evaluated command post exercise, ensuring that theoretical discussions translated into practical readiness.
The value of the symposium was not lost on the soldiers who attended. Many echoed a similar sentiment: the battlefield is evolving fast, and leaders must evolve with it. Topics such as electronic warfare, drone employment, and decision-making under uncertainty resonated strongly with junior and senior leaders alike.
“What sets the Maneuver Warfare Symposium apart is its singular focus. It remains the only event of its kind dedicated exclusively to maneuver-centric thinking, an approach that prioritizes initiative, adaptability, and understanding the enemy as a system,” said Broyles.
In a time when global conflicts are generating new data and lessons every day, Broyles emphasized that intellectual readiness is as important as physical readiness.
“We’re building something that sets us apart,” Broyles said. “The talent we have here, there’s nothing like it anywhere else. And we’re just getting started.”
With planning for next year already underway, the Washington National Guard’s Maneuver Warfare Symposium continues to strengthen the brigade’s competitive edge, ensuring its leaders are prepared to think, adapt, and win against any adversary.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2025 10:11 |
| Story ID: | 553688 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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