UNDER THE AEGIS OF CIOR

UNDER THE AEGIS OF CIOR: Young Reservists in multi-national environment
By Spirdon Spirdonov translated from Bulgarian MOD Official Newspaper - BULGARSKA ARMIA
In May, 17 young reserve officers (including five Bulgarians) from various nations ranging from Moldova to Australia, took part in CIOR’s Young Reserve Officer Seminar held in the National Educational and Training Centre of the Bulgarian Red Cross in Sofia. The event was inaugurated by the President of CIOR, Captain (Navy) Carman McNary.

Photo by Krasimir Todorov The President of CIOR, Captain (Navy) Carman McNary, opens the Young Reserve Officer Seminar in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Chairman of UROS, Lieutenant-General (R) Stoyan Topalov, was also at the inauguration. The Centre and its director, Colonel (R) Atanas Stefanov, created Excellent work conditions for the multi-national group. The main lectures were related to the history of NATO, the connections of the Alliance with EC, UN, and other International Organizations, the direction and use of the reserve forces, and the structure, organization and tasks of CIOR. Participants in the seminar also included Lt-Colonel Gilbert Couch from NATO’s National Reserve Forces Committee (NRFC); Colonel Georgi Tzvetkov, deputy chief of department "J1" with the Bulgarian General Staff, and Lt-Colonel (R) Konstantin Popov, VP CIOR Bulgaria, among others. "In the last two years, we prepared and trained over 1500 officers from more than 34 countries for participation in operations,” said Captain (Navy) McNary. "Moreover," he continued, "we formulated very good recommendations to NATO in relation to the preparation of reservists."