As part of Renewal,CIOR will tackle difficult governance issues that affect the organization’s long-term viability, such as improving financial accountability and administration.  In addition to validating key programs, CIOR will also reform the military competition in order to make it more accessible to its members. Finally, Captain McNary stressed the importance of sending to the CIOR “the right officers, with the right backgrounds and experience to the CIOR, at the right time.”  He explained that renewal of the CIOR will depend on having serving Reservists, with operational experience, engaged on international projects with value to NATO and to individual nations. Meanwhile, the benefit from the experiences that CIOR provides depends on those officers taking, to their next jobs, the skills they gained working in an international and joint environment.

Captain McNary further explained that the CIOR will work hard to demonstrate and even further enhance its relevance to key stakeholders.  For example, the organizationhas accomplished a great deal on behalf of NATO in an informal capacity as a reserve "ambassador" to the PfP countries, and it will continue in that that role and build on it.  The CIOR has an important part to play as NATO engages further east, looks south into the Mediterranean Dialogue, and supports operations in Africa, to say nothing of the direct and leading role NATO is playing in Afghanistan.  This role will be developed further over the next two years.  These activities support and are entirely consistent with the goals of the Military Committee of NATO, as explained to the CIOR by General Henault, Chair of that Committee, at the July Congress of the CIOR

CIOR will also focus on its advisory role to NATO, giving the reserves a powerful voice within the Alliance.  Unfortunately, CIOR has also not always understood the advisory role it can and should fulfill - and in these days of operations involving very significant numbers of reservists from a number of nations, this role is critical.  CIOR hopes to develop, after due analysis of both the challenges our nations share and the best practices applied across those nations, useful advice on important issues.  One such example would include best practices to enhance and maintain employer support to reservists who serve on critical missions.  Another example would be ensuring policies and regulations fulfilling the member state military structure’s responsibility of ensuring reservists are provided with all appropriate support when they return to civilian life following such missions -- particularly if they are subject to injury or trauma of any kind.

In addition, CIOR is looking at its partnerships with other reserve organizations that perform different but complementary roles, like the CIOMR with its focus on medical matters, or AESOR with its role on behalf of non-commissioned personnel.  CIOR must build bridges, take advantage of opportunities for greater efficiencies and work together to ensure all advice or activities benefit from a comprehensive and coordinated approach. 

Finally, CIOR will build on its significant success in the field of professional development by continuing to provide a variety of high-calibre and cost-effective programs that benefit individual reservists, their member nations, and NATO as a whole.  These programs, which are unique opportunities for NATO reservists, foster professional development and situational awareness of contemporary reserve issues affecting the NATO Alliance and its Partners. These are real successes for the organization, representing tangible and clear results, and CIOR will continue to further enhance these professional development activities for reservists. 

ROA US Interested in CIOR President’s Message

As part of Renewal,CIOR will tackle difficult governance issues that affect the organization’s long-term viability, such as improving financial accountability and administration.  In addition to validating key programs, CIOR will also reform the military competition in order to make it more accessible to its members. Finally, Captain McNary stressed the importance of sending to the CIOR “the right officers, with the right backgrounds and experience to the CIOR, at the right time.”  He explained that renewal of the CIOR will depend on having serving Reservists, with operational experience, engaged on international projects with value to NATO and to individual nations. Meanwhile, the benefit from the experiences that CIOR provides depends on those officers taking, to their next jobs, the skills they gained working in an international and joint environment.

Captain McNary further explained that the CIOR will work hard to demonstrate and even further enhance its relevance to key stakeholders.  For example, the organizationhas accomplished a great deal on behalf of NATO in an informal capacity as a reserve "ambassador" to the PfP countries, and it will continue in that that role and build on it.  The CIOR has an important part to play as NATO engages further east, looks south into the Mediterranean Dialogue, and supports operations in Africa, to say nothing of the direct and leading role NATO is playing in Afghanistan.  This role will be developed further over the next two years.  These activities support and are entirely consistent with the goals of the Military Committee of NATO, as explained to the CIOR by General Henault, Chair of that Committee, at the July Congress of the CIOR

CIOR will also focus on its advisory role to NATO, giving the reserves a powerful voice within the Alliance.  Unfortunately, CIOR has also not always understood the advisory role it can and should fulfill - and in these days of operations involving very significant numbers of reservists from a number of nations, this role is critical.  CIOR hopes to develop, after due analysis of both the challenges our nations share and the best practices applied across those nations, useful advice on important issues.  One such example would include best practices to enhance and maintain employer support to reservists who serve on critical missions.  Another example would be ensuring policies and regulations fulfilling the member state military structure’s responsibility of ensuring reservists are provided with all appropriate support when they return to civilian life following such missions -- particularly if they are subject to injury or trauma of any kind.

In addition, CIOR is looking at its partnerships with other reserve organizations that perform different but complementary roles, like the CIOMR with its focus on medical matters, or AESOR with its role on behalf of non-commissioned personnel.  CIOR must build bridges, take advantage of opportunities for greater efficiencies and work together to ensure all advice or activities benefit from a comprehensive and coordinated approach. 

Finally, CIOR will build on its significant success in the field of professional development by continuing to provide a variety of high-calibre and cost-effective programs that benefit individual reservists, their member nations, and NATO as a whole.  These programs, which are unique opportunities for NATO reservists, foster professional development and situational awareness of contemporary reserve issues affecting the NATO Alliance and its Partners. These are real successes for the organization, representing tangible and clear results, and CIOR will continue to further enhance these professional development activities for reservists. 

ROA US Interested in CIOR President’s Message