The system of territorial defence reserve keeps strengthening in the international domain

Hungary is represented in the organization by the Association of Hungarian Reservists (MATASZ). Vice-President Reserve Captain Mónika Méhes and Reserve Captain Ákos Plötl, Head of MATASZ Academy attended the conference, while First Lieutenant Gábor Molnár, an officer at the Planning Directorate of the Territorial Defence Forces Command, represented the Hungarian Defence Forces in observer status.

The objectives of CIOR are to contribute to the further education and capability development of reserve officers and forces by coordinating the activities of NATO and partner nation reserve social organizations, and to provide professional support to the directions of NATO’s development concerning reserve forces.

The conference was organized to hold the preliminary professional debate of the strategic concept prepared by the CIOR Presidency, whose development has been necessitated by the war raging in Ukraine. Because of the war, once again NATO is laying greater emphasis on its primary function stemming from its core mission, namely collective defence, in contrast with its approach centered on crisis response operations, a characteristic of earlier decades. In this context, NATO adopted a new Strategic Concept in 2022, and is planning to renew several of its current doctrines.

This change of approach also affects the role of reserve forces in collective defence, due to which NATO’s National Reserve Forces Committee (NRFC) has submitted an amendment to CIOR’s current directives concerning reserve forces. Accordingly, CIOR has worked out its strategic concept with the main goals of it becoming NATO’s number one partner in the field of civil-military relations, and of developing closer cooperation with the NRFC.

After a professional debate, the delegates accepted the main elements in the draft of the strategic concepts, and according to plans, a decision will be made about its finalized text and approval during the next CIOR conference. The debate on the draft of the strategic concept was followed by introductory presentations about the Albanian, Danish, Estonian and Finnish reserve forces and reserve social organizations as well as reports by from the permanent committees of CIOR.