Yet another successful CIOR Language Academy (CLA) has been completed, teaching English and French as a second language, emphasising a NATO military lexicon while at the same time providing an orientation towards CIOR.
By: Roy Thorvaldsen, Lt. Col (R), Norwegian Army/ CIOR Public Affairs.
The CLA took place at the Greek School of infrantry in Chalkida prior to the Summer Congress, and was completed on the 29th of July. It was the first courses to be held in two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The instructors, qualified reserve officers as well as skilled linguists and teachers, were provided by CIOR member nations and were selected through a competitive process.
The students were NATO reserve officers and active duty officers from Europe, USA and Canada. Through the CLA they have been provided with an essential and indispensable tool to carry out international NATO business – the ability to communicate in one of NATO’s two official languages.
The CLA runs annually for two weeks in a different host nation each time. Previous hosts include Estonia, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Türkiye and The Republic of North Macedonia.
Students on both the English course (EFL) and French course (FFL) have the opportunity to qualify through the STANAG language examination run by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at level 2 and 3. This language qualification is required for careers and deployments within NATO, and is much sought after.
