Estonian reserve officers handed over the leadership of the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) to the reservists of the Nordic countries at the organizations Summer Congress 2024 closing ceremony.
“Our national defence is based on reserve units with combat training, but our reserve force is much more than that. It’s a bridge between military forces and the rest of society,” said the President of Estonia Alar Karis in his speech to the reserve officers of Allied nations. “International cooperation makes us stronger and helps us to protect and deter convincingly. Estonia will always be there for our friends and partners both in good and bad times.”
Estonia held the Presidency of CIOR from 2022 till 2024. “Our aim was to show to the reservists of our allied nations how we keep our combat readiness in Estonia, and our principles on training of reserve forces” said the former President and Head of the Estonian Presidency of CIOR Lieutenant Colonel Toomas Luman. He also stated that the Estonian approach has been new and impressive for the allied nations.
Estonia’s presidency at CIOR also fell into a timeframe of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. “We used every opportunity to share our own and international expert’s knowledge about Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine,” Said Luman.
During the Estonian presidency, CIOR frequently raised questions in NATO command structures about the role of reserve forces, and promoted defining those roles both amongst NATO’s leadership and allied nations.
“In many nations the training and inclusion of reservists into national defence is organized on a different basis, whereas in Estonia and Finland there is a clear system of reserve forces based on conscription. A more systematic approach from allied nations could help them better include reservists,” said Lieutenant Colonel Toomas Luman.
In addition to meetings with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and Chair of the NATO Military Committee Rob Bauer, Estonia’s team heading the CIOR presidency organized seminars at the NATO Headquarters on the topics of Russia and Ukraine. Additionally similar seminars were held during the Summer Congress in Tallinn.During the meetings held in Estonia, reserve officers of other nations frequently visited the training exercise Spring Storm and met with the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces.
