CIOR / CIOMR / CISOR Summer Congress 2024

Dear participants of 2024 Summer Congress,

It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you in Tallinn and in Estonia at CIOR/CIOMR/CISOR Summer Congress. The last week of July will bring together reservist from allied and partner nations to exchange ideas, get involved in discussions, foster co-operation and strengthen the bonds between individuaal members and organisations.

This year´s congress holds special significance as we celebrate NATO´s 75th anniversary. For Estonia this has double special meaning as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of NATO membership. NATO is still the most powerful alliance which has more troops, vessels and aircrafts than any other military power in the world.  But NATO also units likeminded nations which have the same values. Reserve officers and NCOs of allied and partner nations are the vital link link beween NATO militaries and people to enhance these values and common goals.

The war in Ukraine is going on, it tests NATO´s and all allied and partner nations ability to confront evil and stand for common good. We hope to welcome Ukrainian reserve officers among us very soon and share the experience of being part of international reserves community with them.

NATO is changing and it´s reservist organisations are changing as well. At this Congress we will continue discussions how to link CIOR, CIOMR and CISOR to each other more closely and work together more effectively. Together we are strong and can provide better advice on reserve issues to NATO and national military leaderships.

This is the third time during last years to organise Summer Congress in Tallinn. I hope that you will find time to look around in this beautiful city, it´s old town, but also modern outskirts, think about history and challenges this city has faced through centuries. I wish you very successful and memorable Congress 2024 in Tallinn!

Toomas Luman (EST)

Lieutenant Colonel
President of CIOR

Dear Senior Officers, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As President, it is my great pleasure on behalf of the CIOMR membership to welcome you at the joint CIOR/CIOMR/CISOR Summer Congress 2024 in Tallinn!  We have an exciting and inspiring program ahead of us. 

CIOMR have had an excellent past year and since Summer Congress 2023; we have new nations attending CIOMR, old ones reattending, and our programmes and activities have increased with many nations and individuals contributing to this achievement. This will be very positive moving forward.

Also this year, our close link with the Committee of Chiefs of Medical Services in NATO (COMEDS) has been central in us being able to represent the medical reservists in NATO in a very positive way and ensure the reserve voice is being heard. Our good cooperation with the Multinational Medical Coordination Centre – Europe (MMCC/E) keeps us updated and involved in their activities. We are also working with the National Reserve Force Committee (NRFC).  With our sister Confederations, we are also working with the International Military Staff (IMS) and others, and are strongly supporting in the good work on NATOs policy on reserves and document writing.

The good and longstanding close co-operation with our sister-organizations CIOR and CISOR continues, as you also will see during this Summer Congress in joint activities such as the Military Skills Competition (MilComp), Junior Medical Reserve Officer Workshop and YROW and joint social activities.

The CIOMR has structured a varied program with sessions focused on military medicine and scientific aspects, operational medical themes, global health engagement, parallel and partly joint with the Junior Medical Reserve Officer Workshop, and of course our Executive Council. In essence, the program will particularly focus on new developments in military medicine, putting these into an operational setting, having a global overview, and giving our Junior Medical Reserve Officers a strong introduction to strategic planning at a NATO-level. It should be something for everyone to enjoy.

 I am looking forward to seeing you in Tallinn at the Summer Congress.

Johan Storm Munch (NOR)

Lieutenant Colonel
President of CIOMR

Admirals, Generals and Fellow Officers of CIOR, and Non-Commissioned Officers of CISOR,

The 2023 Summer Congress was a historic event for CISOR, CIOR and CIOMR. At this congress, for the first time, all three organizations were visibly represented in one logo. A symbolic act that documented the collaboration externally for the first time. It was a long journey for CISOR until then, which began at the Summer Congress in Prague in August 2017. I have followed this path from the beginning and have accompanied the development, so it was a special honor for me personally as President of CISOR to be able to witness the realization of the collaboration between CIOR, CISOR and CIOMR at a joint summer congress.

For me personally, it was a pleasure and a special honor to be able to celebrate the 60th anniversary of CISOR with the acting President of CIOR Lieutenant Colonel Toomas Luman and CIOMR President Lieutenant Colonel Johan Munch in Helsinki.

Since the Summer Congress, CISOR has also been represented at the Mid-Winter Meeting and the In Between Meeting. In this way, CISOR shows that we are interested in long-term and continuous co-operation.

The 2024 Summer Congress in Tallinn is the continuation of this joint collaboration. And joint co-operation between all three organizations is more important than ever given the current security policy situation. CISOR, CIOR and CIOMR have decades of experience in the area of international reservist work. It is now important to pool this experience and intensify co-operation in all areas. It will be necessary for us to approach each other, build bridges and reduce reservations.

This is all the more so as NATO is currently rethinking the structure of the reserve. Things will not continue like this, so we are called upon to develop new concepts and present ourselves as reliable partners for NATO. CISOR is ready and willing to support the process of new development within the scope of our possibilities.

Let’s use the 2024 Summer Congress in beautiful Tallinn to bring our organizations even closer together and bring the international reserve forward.
Together we are strong!

Reinhard Knott (GER)

Chief Sergeant Major
President of CISOR