Istanbul, 10-11 July 08

Employer support for all Reservists is a key issue in balancing busy civilian careers and personal lives with Reserve Service, especially in times of Mobilisation which may be voluntary or compulsory. It was therefore pertinent that the 2008 CIOR Symposium subject was ''Employer Support for better Deployment of Reserves''. A one and a half day conference brought together senior military commanders, employer support organisations and serving Officers to present national views, policies and best practice. After presentations and key note speeches, delegates divided into syndicates to extract workshop studies that would inform the annual report to NATO and sponsoring Defence Departments.

Of particular success was connecting the top - the military commanders and employer support agencies - with the bottom - a panel of Junior Officers who went head-to-head in late-night television style, which both challenged top-down policy and exposed to the seniors some of the genuine concerns experienced by those at the start of their Reserve Officer careers. The report on the Symposium will be published in December 2008.