The topic this year, strengthening relations between military and economy, highlighted methods by which nations might catalyze partnership between civil and military organizations. “The main question at the center of every discussion was how to connect military and industry for the betterment of all our futures,” said 1st Lt. Leon Bender, German Luftwaffe.
Lt. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, deputy general inspector of the German army, spoke to the necessity of reserve forces for not just national, but collective, defense. Capable reserves are a guarantor of sustainability, he said.
The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR), in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, hosted the three-day seminar, which featured speakers of military, industry and political backgrounds from six nations.
“It was more than just panels and presentations,” Bender said. “Each presentation led to questions and interactive discussions.” Those discussions covered a range of topics, including cyber security, interoperability, military infrastructure, resilience, leadership, and new technologies.
“All the possibilities relating to technology are underestimated, for example,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time until we see exponential improvement in the harnessing of artificial intelligence and algorithm development to automate additional processes. The seminar highlighted the dual use capabilities of technology like drones.” In other areas, dual purpose strategy can break new ground, as stated in one seminar presentation.
The lessons learned by civil companies can be of use to military organizations, influencing the future of defense and underscoring the importance of accounting for the lasting impacts of strategic decisions.
Chairman LTC Hans Garrels encouraged every seminar participant to consider how the military might implement the information gained in the seminar over the long term and focus on tangible results.
The Inter-allied Confederation of Reserve Officers is a non-profit, non-governmental, non- political, joint confederation that represents 1.3 million military reserve officers from allied and partner countries.
CIOR meets each winter for seminar and mid-winter meeting, and each summer for congress and has two in-between meetings per year.
Founded in 1948, and officially recognized by NATO in 1976, CIOR builds an avenue for reserve forces to bolster their strength, share information, and harmonize efforts with other member states.
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