Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Deziree Lau | The command historian for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division...... read more read more
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VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – “I want you to view Valley Forge as a forward operating base,” said Stephen Harlan, command historian for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, during the division's first staff ride of the year Jan. 23.
Staff rides are crucial for leader development, using historical battlefields to teach leadership, strategy, decision-making, and the principles of war by immersing participants in past events for analysis that fosters critical thinking and building cohesion.
“In 1777, Valley Forge served as the winter encampment of George Washington’s Continental Army during the Revolutionary War,” shared Harlan. It was a period of immense hardship – starvation, disease, and cold. It was also a time of innovation.
“We’re standing on the grounds of the grand parade, ‘a place of transformation: for the landscape and our country,’” Harlan cited as the group gathered at the Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Monument.
Baron von Steuben was an innovative, Prussian-born Army leader who transformed the Soldiers of the Continental Army by training them into a disciplined force that emerged ready to fight.
“Washington and the great leaders who served with him were the ones who were restructuring the force,” said Col. Robert Farmer, 99th RD command chaplain. “These leaders paved the way by adapting and transforming in contact. They were resilient.”
From the Revolutionary War era to present day, the Army continues to transform its forces to meet the needs necessary to the times. Currently, Army initiatives focus on becoming a more lethal force for future multi-domain warfare by integrating technological advancements like artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and long-range fires.
“It’s important for us as leaders to understand mission control, as well as gain a complete understanding of what our roles and responsibilities are while adapting to the transformations occurring within our formations and within our doctrine,” said Brig. Gen. Reginald Kornegay, 99 th RD deputy commanding general – operations.
Army initiatives are also focusing on overhauling acquisition, restructuring forces, divesting outdated systems, and enhancing readiness, particularly for Indo-Pacific deterrence.
“We must also remain flexible in how we approach decision making when it comes to the changes in our battlefields whether at home or abroad,” Kornegay continued.
For more historical information on Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War, please visit: https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/71-46.pdf
For more information about the Army Reserve or joining the Army Reserve, please visit: https://www.goarmy.com/explore-the-army/army-structure/reserve?iom=CUGI- 26NMTF_N_PSEA_23016834678_9246352488_4868156678_185112525563_join+the+ army+reserve&goarmy-git- open=ebrc&&&&&gclid=48d8d3bf20531c53da1fbacc8b885cdc&gclsrc=3p.ds
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2026 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 557299 |
| Location: | VALLEY FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Reserve leaders walk historical paths of transformation, by SFC Deziree Lau, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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