11-14 Feb. 2004

Reserve officers hold 56th Midwinter conference Links CIOR website The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) held its 56th mid winter conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, 11-14 February. CIOR finalized its plan to modernize and streamline its structures, limiting numbers on standing committees. Furthermore, the CIOR annual Congress will be limited to four days duration, to include a comprehensive two-day seminar on subjects of importance to Reserves in support of NATO operations and security concerns. The annual CIOR Midwinter Seminar, hosted days earlier by the Konrad Adenhauer Foundation in Wesseling, Germany, was devoted to "New Challenges to NATO in the 21st Century." Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General in NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, was one of the diverse speakers from the academic and political landscape in Europe. A special ceremony at NATO honoured Niklaus von Witzendorff, seminar director, for his significant and long-time contributions to CIOR. CIOR represents over 800,000 reserve officers in NATO member countries, and is tasked by NATO to provide advice on Reserves. It forges links between Reservists and NATO military authorities, and encourages ties between Reserve forces from the various participating countries, as well as the creation of organisations for reserve officers in Partnership for Peace countries. The CIOR was created in 1948. It meets twice a year and organises a number of activities including workshops for young Reserve officers and for medical Reserve officers, seminars and language courses. It also has a number of commissions and committees that focus on issues such as civil-military cooperation, strategic planning, Partnership for Peace and communications.