By Lt. Col. Peter Powell Jr., U.S. CIOR Delegation Assistant Secretary General
The Reserve Organization of America (ROA) is strengthening its leadership and influence within the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers, commonly known by its French acronym (CIOR) (Confédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve), by reinforcing the United States’ commitment to North Atlantic Treaty Organizing’s (NATO) reserve community and advancing the readiness, interoperability, and professional development of American reservists on the international stage.
As the official U.S.-designated member association in CIOR, ROA represents reservists from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Through its active participation, ROA ensures that American reserve perspectives, operational experience, and policy priorities are fully integrated into CIOR’s multinational work.
Founded in 1948, CIOR is the world’s largest organization representing military reservists, comprising 34 NATO and partner nations and approximately one million reservists throughout the Alliance. It is designated in the new NATO Military Policy as an Advocacy Reserve Organization (ARO), along with the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Medical Officers (CIOMR) and the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Non-commissioned Officers (CISOR). ROA serves as the United States’ voice within CIOR, and its engagement ensures that American reservists remain connected to global best practices, aligned with NATO priorities, and prepared to operate seamlessly alongside our allies. The United States is not currently a full member of CISOR, but in March 2026, ROA engaged the CISOR Secretary General to begin the process of full membership. As of April 2026, ROA is awaiting formal endorsement of the move from our Reserve friends in the Pentagon; our Non-commissioned officers are motivated and ready to learn and train with their Alliance counterparts.
ROA delegates play a central role across CIOR’s specialized committees, which address critical issues such as mobilization, strategic communication, civil military cooperation, legal protections for reservists, and the evolving demands of modern defense. ROA members contribute expertise to CIOR’s Defense Attitudes and Security Issues Committee (DEFSEC), Civil Military Cooperation Committee (CIMIC), Strategic Communication Committee (STRATCOM), Legal Committee, and the Young Reserve Officers Committee (YRO), among others. Their participation helps shape NATO’s understanding of reserve capabilities and informs policy discussions at the highest levels.
There are two primary CIOR meetings held each year, which feature informative presentations aligned with the theme selected by the CIOR Presidency, while also providing time for the CIOR committees to meet and conduct their work in person. The Summer Congress is held in conjunction with CIOMR and CISOR, usually in late July/early August. In 2025, the Summer Congress was held in Madrid, Spain, while in 2026 it will be held in Bucharest, Romania.
The Winter Meeting is normally held in late January at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, however, due to the new NATO Policy on Reserves, which emphasizes close cooperation between CIOR/CIOMR/CISOR and the NATO Committee on Reserves (NCR), it was decided at the Summer Congress in Madrid that the Winter Meeting would be held in Norfolk, VA in January 2026 in conjunction with NCR. Within a very short lead-time, several ROA members from both CIOR and CIOMR played key roles in successfully leading the planning and execution of a very successful Winter Meeting featuring visits to NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT), a ship tour of the USS Arlington, and numerous high profile speakers, including the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, the Chief of Canadian Reserve, and the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
One of the most visible contributions of the U.S. Reserve Components is its support for U.S. participation in the CIOR Military Competition (MILCOMP). This internationally recognized military pentathlon tests marksmanship, endurance, navigation, and core infantry skills, with a battlefield medical exercise and Law of War test. Each year, U.S. teams compete alongside more than 250 reservists from across the Alliance. The three day event includes pistol and rifle shooting, a demanding land obstacle course, a water obstacle course, and a 12–14 km orienteering challenge with additional military tasks. MILCOMP strengthens U.S. interoperability with NATO partners and showcases the professionalism and resilience of American reservists.
Participants in the CIOR miliary competition
Beyond competition, ROA supports U.S. involvement in CIOR’s professional development programs, including the CIOR Language Academy (CLA), which provides intensive English and French language training. CLA is an established training program that brings together reservists and active-duty personnel from across NATO and partner nations in a focused, multinational learning environment. Its core purpose is to enhance English and French language proficiency within a military context, aligned with NATO STANAG standards, while simultaneously strengthening the foundations for effective cooperation in international settings. Combining classroom instruction with practical, scenario-based training, participants develop the linguistic capabilities required for staff work, briefings, and professional military communication in multinational headquarters and operational environments. Particular emphasis is placed on applying language skills in realistic contexts, enabling attendees to communicate clearly, precisely, and confidently under conditions that reflect actual NATO procedures and dynamics. In 2026, the CIOR Language Academy will take place from 19 July to 1 August at the French Air Force Academy (École de l’air et de l’espace) in Salon-de-Provence, France. The two-week course is open to reservists and active-duty personnel of all ranks and services, offering training in English or French up to STANAG level 3333 within a fully immersive, international environment.
COL (FRA) Stanislas de Magnienville, CLA director addresses the last CLA graduating class
CIOR’s Young Reserve Officers (YRO) Program develops the next generation of multinational reserve leaders. YROW has been prioritized as the most important deliverable of CIOR, and the workshop course development has been a focus to ensure a succession of reservists who can cooperate and participate in NATO operations.
YROW is a professional development program conducted concurrently with the annual CIOR Summer Congress. This week-long workshop is designed to be a junior reserve officer’s first exposure to a multi-national environment and to colleagues from NATO and PfP nations. Junior reserve officers up to the rank of OF-2: Captain (Army/Air Force) or Lieutenant (Navy) work together for a week in an intense international setting. It constitutes a unique professional development opportunity for approximately 60 junior reserve officers annually.
The Interallied Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers (CIOMR) is an umbrella organization that unites the national associations of multi-professional reserve medical services of the NATO member states and their affiliates. Biannual in-person meetings have increased significantly in recent years, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 revitalizing interest in CIOMR, initially chartered after WWII, with ROA as the original and continued sponsor, to drive interoperability for U.S. Forces. The organization recently celebrated 75 years of cooperation across the alliance among medical reserve officers, and the relevance and impact of CIOMR is as high as it’s ever been. Any NATO alliance conflict will be inherently multinational, and any combat trauma system must be multinational as well. Most medical forces in NATO nations are reserve, so CIOMR provides the ideal forum for the medical community to prepare for alliance combat medical support. CIOMR is an official observer of the NATO Medical Committee (COMEDS) and provides support to several military medicine committees through reserve talent with deep military and civilian expertise. CIOMR recently introduced the developmental Junior Medical Reserve Officer Workshop (JMROW). This program has become the “jewel in the crown” for CIOMR, and for the U.S., JMROW is the only joint, combined reserve medical training opportunity for junior officers. In 2026, at the summer Congress in Bucharest, Romania, CIOMR will deliver the inaugural Reserve Officers’ Workshop (ROW). ROW is a mid-career course intended to build on previous NATO experience and training. This more advanced course will include a wargame delivered by the U.S. Army War College, negotiation training, NATO strategic foresight analysis, executive communication training, and more. In the future, ROW will be a combined program with CIOR. Collaboration between CIOR and CIOMR, with the support of ROA leadership, enabled the first major gathering of reserve NATO leaders in the U.S. at the Mid-Winter meeting in Norfolk, VA, in January, 2026. Over 250 senior reserve leaders from across the alliance, including NATO Committee on Reserves (NCR) delegates, shared lessons learned from the numerous reserve modernization efforts ongoing in many NATO nations.
Through its sustained engagement, ROA enhances the United States’ influence in NATO reserve affairs, strengthens transatlantic cooperation, and reinforces the essential role of American reservists in collective defense. For more information on ROA International Programs and CIOR, go to: https://roa.org/internationalprograms/ and for the summer CIOR/CIOMR/CISOR Summer Congress information: https://roa.org/event/cior-ciomr-cisor-summer-congress/
