Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers

The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers,^[1] commonly referred to by its French acronym CIOR (for La Confédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve), represents the interests of over 1.3 million reservists across 34 participating nations^[2] within and beyond NATO, making it the world’s largest military reserve officer organization.

Founded in 1948 by the reserve officer associations of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, CIOR is a NATO-affiliated, non-political and non-profit umbrella organization of member nations’ national reserve officer associations.

The CIOR meets twice a year – in the summer and winter – and they work through committees that examine issues and provide analysis relating to reserve forces. Typical issues of interest include the contribution of reserve forces to international operations, the re-integration of reservists within their respective communities following deployment abroad, the law of armed conflict, the impact of NATO expansion on the Reserves, and employer support to reservists.

In addition to their roles as reserve officers, many individual delegates of CIOR are highly accomplished business and industrial leaders, public servants and academics. They are therefore in a unique position to contribute to a better understanding of security and defence issues in the population as a whole, as well as bringing civilian expertise and experience to the tasks and challenges facing reserve forces in NATO.

Structure

The CIOR is structured around a constitution that provides for a rotating presidency, a CIOR Council composed of vice-presidents of participating nations, key committees and several annual events that promote training, education and professional development. The presidential term is two years in length. Norway has handed over the presidency to France in 2012, which in turn has handed it over to Bulgaria in 2014.

CIOR committees include the Defence Attitudes and Security Issues Committee^[3] (DEFSEC), Civil / Military Cooperation Committee (CIMIC), Public Affairs Working Group (PAWG), Military Competitions Committee^[4] (MILCOMP), Legal Affairs Committee,^[5] Partnership for Peace Committee^[6] (PfP), CIOR Language Academy Committee^[7] (CLAC), Winter Seminar Committee,^[8] Symposium Working Group^[9] (SWG), and the Young Reserve Officers Committee^[10] (YROW).

Roles

The CIOR has two main roles: to provide advice on Reserve issues and support to the NATO Alliance, and to foster the professional development of reserve officers.

Advice to NATO on Reserve issues: CIOR is a voice for reserve issues to the NATO Alliance and provides advice on the best utilization of reserve forces in a variety of operational settings, in addition to studying and promoting harmonization in the roles, duties and rights of reservists in Allied nations. CIOR also directly contributes to NATO’s goals by promoting and enhancing cooperation and interoperability amongst reserve forces within the Alliance and its partners.

Enabler to NATO Transformation: Transformation in NATO means coordinating this effort within an Alliance of 28 sovereign nations, navigating the challenges posed by the diversity of military cultures, languages, geo-political considerations, unique national security concerns, and economic factors. CIOR brings its collective expertise to bear in support of these challenges by bringing nations together, developing important cross-cultural dialogues and providing a forum for collaborative approaches to common problems.

The relationship between CIOR and NATO is fully defined in NATO Military Committee Document (MC) 248/2.

Activities

Professional development

CIOR is an organization committed to professional development, and it provides a variety of high-calibre and cost-effective programs that benefit individual reservists, their member nations, and NATO as a whole. By raising awareness of contemporary reserve issues and promoting interoperability and cooperation while respecting national traditions, CIOR develops individual reservists to serve national and international interests.

Some of the key opportunities for professional development uniquely available through CIOR include the following:

Military competition (MILCOMP)

Over 250 athletes participate in CIOR's military competition each year. Established in 1957, it is an internationally recognized competition that is focused on military skills that truly challenge the leadership and physical robustness of reservists from across NATO and its partners. It is highly relevant to deployed operations as it trains and tests real warrior skills that officers need to master for success on the current battlefield (physical fitness, teamwork, land navigation, marksmanship, combat first aid, and Law of Armed Conflict).

Young Reserve Officers Workshop (YROW)

Annually, about 60 reserve officers attend this week-long workshop, concentrating on current defence and security issues that relate to reserve force issues within NATO and its partners. It is designed to be a first international exposure for young officers to colleagues from the Alliance and its Partners. YROW is an enriching experience for these young officers, who are the future of the Alliance, providing them an opportunity to establish professional relationships that often last throughout their careers, and offering a strong foundation on which to build their NATO experience.

CIOR Language Academy (CLA)

The CIOR Language Academy teaches English and French as a second language, emphasizing a NATO military lexicon. The students are reserve officers of NATO member nations, new Member and Partner nations of Eastern and Central Europe and the Mediterranean Dialogue countries. Through the Language Academy, students are provided an essential and indispensable tool to carry out international NATO business – the ability to communicate in one of NATO’s two official languages. Established in 2000, the Language Academy is growing each year and trains up to 100 students yearly from almost every nation of Eastern and Central Europe.

Winter Seminar

Held annually, with the direct support and cooperation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, about 70 participants attend this four-day activity that explores current defence and security issues.

Partnership for Peace Seminar (PfP)

CIOR's Partnership for Peace Committee holds an annual seminar for Partner members, which is held in Partner countries. This activity is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of the Alliance, as well as to gain a better understanding of the structure and organization of reserve forces and associations within the Alliance. This activity in support of Partner nations is well aligned with NATO's objectives of cooperation, partnership and inclusion.

Current Presidency^[11]

The Presidency is currently held by Czech Republic for the 2016–2018 term.

Notable members

• Lt Col HRH Prince Peter of Greece – CIOR President from 1962–1964

List of successive Presidents^[12] since 1948

• 1948 – 1952 Belgium Maj Michel Deveze
• 1952 – 1954 France Maj Marcel Rebourset
• 1954 – 1956 The Netherlands Maj Aarnold Theodooir Kastein
• 1956 – 1958 Luxembourg Capt Gaston Kieffer
• 1958 – 1960 Denmark Maj Arne Hoff
• 1960 – 1962 United States Lt Col Leon G. Turrou
• 1962 – 1964 Greece Lt Col HRH Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark
• 1964 – 1966 Italy Lt GT Giuseppe Pizzorno
• 1966 – 1968 Germany Como Hans Rudolf Rosing
• 1968 – 1970 Belgium Lt Col (Baron) Jean S. Bloch
• 1970 – 1972 Norway Cdr Per Birkevold
• 1972 – 1974 France Lt Col Louis Rouzee
• 1974 –1976 United States Maj Gen James E Frank
• 1976 – 1978 United Kingdom R Adm Philip Graham Sharp
• 1978 – 1980 Canada Maj Gen J. P. Charbonneau
• 1980 - 1982 Denmark TC Peter J. Jorgensen
• 1982 – 1984 The Netherlands Lt Col Baron Pierre Louis d'Aulnis de Bourouill
• 1984 – 1986 Italy Col Dr Luigi Sartori
• 1986 – 1988 Germany Col Roland Ziegler
• 1988 – 1990 Canada Maj Gen R. W. Lewis
• 1990 – 1992 Norway Lt Col (R) Torgeir Stensrud
• 1992 – 1994 United States Maj Gen Evan L. Hultman
• 1994 – 1996 France Medecin General Etienne Tissot
• 1996 – 1998 United Kingdom Brig Michael Browne
• 1998 – 2000 Belgium Lt Col Eric Thiry
• 2000 – 2002 Denmark Lt Col Karsten Thuen
• 2002 – 2004 Italy Lt Cdr Giuseppe Filippo Imbalzano
• 2004 – 2006 Germany Lt Col Hans-Jürgen Schraut
• 2006 – 2008 Canada Capt (Navy) Carman McNary
• 2008 – 2010 The Netherlands LtCol Willem J. Verheijen
• 2010 – 2012 Norway Capt (Navy) Jon Erling Tenvik
• 2012 – 2014 France Cdr Richard Roll
• 2014 - 2016 Bulgaria Lt Col Dimitar Popov
• 2016 - 2018 Czech republic Lt Col Arnošt Líbezný

References