U.S. Army Reserve joins global NATO allies at 2026 CIOR

BUCHAREST, Romania -- To see how global military reserve forces are preparing to be ready at a moment's notice, Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Betty, the senior enlisted leader for the U.S. Army Reserve, recently traveled to Romania to observe the 2026 CIOR-CISOR Confederația Interaliată a Ofițerilor / Subofițerilor în Rezervă (Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers/Noncommissioned Officers) and Military Competition.

Representing roughly 1.3 million reservists across 30 nations, CIOR is the world's largest military reserve organization and acts as an official advisory body to NATO. Its annual three-day military competition pits multinational teams against each other in areas such as marksmanship, obstacle courses and utility swimming.

"I love that we have this opportunity and experience," Betty said. "It's a total training environment where we have multiple nations learning together. That's how we fight. We fight together."

During the event, Betty met with international delegates, instructors, and competing troops to discuss how multinational training can better support reserve soldiers who balance civilian careers with military service.

Seeing that integration firsthand is vital to shaping how the U.S. Army Reserve supports the broader military. By training side-by-side during peacetime, international forces ensure that communication, tactics, and trust are already built long before a real-world crisis occurs.

"We need to continue pushing for more of our enlisted ranks and competitors to get involved in these types of events," Betty emphasized. "This is where real integration happens. Seeing more of our noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted competing here is how we build our future global alliances."

Additional photos from this year's event can be seen at: https://www.usar.army.mil/CIOR/