Templar Organization combines serious historical research with the insights of an aerospace industry executive. By doing so, it reveals the inner workings of a remarkable medieval institution. The most successful and unique military and religious group in history, the Templars ran a multinational business across all of Europe and Northern Africa. Their agricultural, shipping, and banking efforts funded an amazingly effective military force deployed on crusade in the holy land. The author decodes their internal regulations with his unique understanding of complex organizations. He unravels how they managed this far flung operation and the reasons behind their techniques. The unparalleled success of this group extended for over 150 years and culminated in a shockingly sudden demise. Its history reveals lessons for scholars and modern leaders alike.

Mr. Bruno is an executive at Lockheed Martin. He is currently the Chief Engineer for one of the most successful major weapon systems in history. He also Chairs and participates several strategic study groups, examining the technical approaches, and acquisition strategies required to carry various programs into the next century. Previously, Mr. Bruno has served as the Program Manager for several important rocket and missile programs. These ranged in size from a few million to several hundreds of millions of dollars per year. He has been involved with the creation, realignment and restructuring of complex organizations containing thousands of employees.

Mr. Bruno has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering earned at the California Polytechnic State University in 1985 and has completed graduate courses and university management development programs. He is also a technical expert in the fields of solid rocket propulsion and mechanical control systems.

Mr. Bruno is an avid history buff and is married to his college sweetheart Rebecca, also formerly an engineer at Lockheed. Tory and Rebecca have two beautiful children.

Mr. Bruno has earned numerous awards and honors. These include the following:

Robert E. Gross Disclosure of Invention Award, 1987. Anomaly Resolution Special Award, 1990. Manifold Task Force Special Award, 1994. Special Recognition Award, 1994. First Flight Award, 1995. Booster Study Award, 1995. Superior Performance, 1996. Moving Mass Control System Team Award, 1997. Superior Performance, 1997. Mission Success and Program Excellence, 1997. Superior Performance, 1997. Pursuit of Excellence, 1997. Special Recognition Award 1997. Quality Awareness Award, 1998. Special Recognition Award, 1998. KTJ-SMOTJ. Naval Order of the United States (NOUS), Associate.

This work provides a detailed analysis of the hierarchy of the one of the most remarkable institutions of the medieval world; The Order of the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, (the Templars). This singular group was founded on the completely unique innovation of combining the triple monastic vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, with the military vocation of knighthood. Drawing from the best of both worlds, these men created a complex, highly disciplined crusader war machine that was altogether unique among its contemporary rivals. The effectiveness of this group impressed the most experienced and successful military leaders of the day. The monastic context allowed the Templars to achieve a very high degree of discipline and uniformity more commonly associated with modern military organizations. A study of their highly evolved organizational structure reveals a great deal about how they were able to achieve their successes. It also illuminates the influence of the Order as an institution.

This analysis is primarily based on the French Rule (OF Rule). This amazing set of military regulations describes the responsibilities of the Order’s members in wartime and in peace. It evolved from the original "Primitive Rule" created by the Council of Troyes in 1129 over the entire 180-year history of the order until its suppression by King Philip the Fair in the early 1300’s. The Primitive Rule comprises some 74 articles and is clearly derived from the Rule of St. Benedict. This is not surprising since it bears the mark of the great Cistercian Abbot, St. Bernard, who was the early Order’s religious sponsor, marketer, mentor, and lobbyist. By the time the Primitive Rule was laid down, the Knights had been operating for some ten years. Hugh and his eight or nine companions had been protecting pilgrims in and about Jerusalem. As a result, the first rule contained obvious elements of existing practice. By the late thirteenth century, the Rule had grown by almost ten times to some 686 articles.

I have cross-referenced clues within different sections of the Rule and relied upon numerous other scholarly works to ferret out the details presented here. The Rule was an "insiders" document. By that I mean that it was written by Templars for the consumption of other Templars. What was obvious to them is often not explicitly stated. They certainly did not have our centuries later curiosity in mind at the time. Thus, some significant detective work has been required.

The non-Templar works studied are concerned with general medieval society and military practice. Although the Templars were profoundly innovative in the vision of their founding, the basic organizational building blocks were a product of their secular environment. Members were well indoctrinated in the outside world before joining. Rule 14 clearly states that children are not to be admitted to the Order. This was relatively unique to the Templars. Most monastic orders of the day allowed the admittance of juveniles. Knights were to be raised and trained in the secular world at least until they had reached adulthood before admittance to the Templars. It was expected that postulates were to be fully skilled and indoctrinated in contemporary, secular, knighthood before joining. Many members did not join until later in life after becoming widowed or desiring, for some other reason, to set the secular world aside and "bear arms-- [to] rid the land of the enemies of Christ." (R14). The medieval mind considered this a way to not only serve God, but to also shed ones’ self of the worldly burdens in preparation for the afterlife. It was not uncommon for men who were very ill to donate their estates and be admitted prior to their death, gaining them a final resting place in the local Templar chapel or cemetery. Grand Masters (Masters of the Temple in Jerusalem) could be also chosen from outside the Order. Thus, the influence of the norms, social structure, and standard military tactics of medieval Europe was pervasive. With that in mind, let us start this analysis with a brief sketch of how that secular world operated. I’ll also discuss how the Templars contrasted with the secular world in subtle, but important ways.