International Activities 

We connect Swedish reserve officers with the wider allied reserve community 

Sverof’s international work begins in the same place as its national mission: building reserve officer competence in the Military-Civil Capability Context, MC3, to the benefit of the individual, the Swedish Armed Forces and society. 

As Sweden is an allied nation, that mission does not stop at national borders. International cooperation scales the same competence logic into a wider setting. In line with the CIOR International Cooperation Program Statement, Sverof sees such cooperation as a force multiplier: it develops interoperability through multinational practice, creates professional exchange between reserve officers with different civilian and military expertise, turns shared experience into stronger allied networks, and builds the alliance esprit de corps that supports trust, cohesion and collective defence. 

CIOR and CIOMR 

Sverof’s primary international arena 

Sverof’s most important international engagement is through CIOR and CIOMR. 

CIOR, the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers, is the world’s largest military reserve officers’ organisation. It is a NATO-affiliated, non-political and non-profit umbrella organisation for national reserve officer associations. CIOR promotes reserve service, supports NATO on reserve matters, and provides training, education, professional development and international cooperation for reserve officers. 

Sverof has taken part in CIOR since 1999. Through CIOR, Swedish reserve officers meet colleagues from allied and partner nations in conferences, working meetings, courses, military competitions and professional programmes. CIOR activities include, among others, the Summer Congress, Mid-Winter Meeting, In-Between Meetings, the Young Reserve Officers Programme, the CIOR Language Academy, military competition, cyber-related activities and academic work. 

CIOMR, the Interallied Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers, is the corresponding international organisation for medical reserve officers and multi-professional military healthcare competence. CIOMR brings together medical reserve officers and reserve medical services from NATO countries and partners. Its work contributes to military healthcare development, medical training, global health engagement and the connection between civilian medical expertise and military medical needs. 

Together, CIOR and CIOMR give Swedish reserve officers access to a professional allied environment where military knowledge, civilian expertise and national experience can be exchanged and developed. 

For Sverof, participation in CIOR and CIOMR serves several purposes: 

The International Committee 

Turning strategy into international opportunities 

Sverof’s international activities are developed and coordinated through the International Committee, IK. 

The committee’s task is to make international activity useful for Sverof, its members and Sweden’s defence. It does this by identifying, developing, coordinating and managing international events, assignments and cooperation formats that fit Sverof’s strategic direction. 

IK works in line with Sverof’s strategic concept. That concept places the reserve officer at the intersection between the Armed Forces and civilian society. Sverof’s mission is to promote the reserve officer’s military-civil career for the benefit of society. Its strategic arena is the Military-Civil Capability Context, MC3. 

MC3 describes the area where military and civilian knowledge meet and reinforce each other. This includes fields such as leadership, crisis management, logistics, cyber, communication, medical capability, civil defence, resilience, international relations, education and human factors. These are areas where reserve officers often have both military relevance and civilian expertise. 

As for Sverof, the International Committee therefore prioritises activities that have clear military-civil value. International activity should not only send members abroad. It should create output that strengthens professional capability, improves employability, increases operational usefulness and contributes to society. 

In practice, IK works to provide as many relevant international military-civil events and cooperation opportunities as possible, within the limits of available voluntary commitment and organisational capacity. This may include participation in CIOR and CIOMR, Nordic cooperation, bilateral cooperation, international courses, seminars, military sports, and other activities that support Sverof’s strategic goals. This is framed as expanding the Sverof Product Portfolio. 

The committee’s work and its international activities are governed by Sverof’s Handbook for International Activities and the annual international activity plan.  

“Försvarsmaktsintegrerad förbundsverksamhet” 

When Swedish Armed Forces supports international association work  

Some of Sverof’s international activities are conducted in close coordination with the Swedish Armed Forces. 

This applies especially to selected CIOR and CIOMR activities where Swedish reserve officers participate in a way that also has value for the Armed Forces. In such cases, Sverof and the Swedish Armed Forces coordinate planning, participation and follow-up. The purpose is to ensure that international engagement is not only valuable for the individual member, but also contributes to Swedish military capability, NATO integration, interoperability and knowledge transfer. 

For selected activities, the Swedish Armed Forces may support participation by calling in the reserve officer for service during the event and handling employment, travel, accommodation and related service conditions. This is done according to agreed procedures and only for activities that meet relevant criteria. 

International participation supported by the Swedish Armed Forces should as always strengthen reserve officer competence within the Military-Civil Capability Context, MC3. This benefits the individual member, but also indirectly strengthens Sverof, the Swedish Armed Forces and society. In addition, these special arrangements should create more direct military utility by identifying knowledge, experience, methods and initiatives that can be brought back, adapted and fed into relevant Swedish Armed Forces contexts. International engagement should therefore produce value beyond participation itself. 

Other International Activities 

Wider cooperation, wider learning 

Although CIOR and CIOMR are Sverof’s main international platforms, Sverof’s international work is broader. 

The Nordic reserve officer cooperation has deep historical roots. It began in the 1930s and later developed through the Nordic Reserve Officers’ Presidium. The purpose remains relevant: to exchange ideas and experience, strengthen cooperation between Nordic reserve officer associations, and support each nation’s defence through professional contact and mutual understanding. 

In the past, Sverof has also had long-standing engagement with the Baltic region, including seminars, study visits and cooperation linked to the military-strategic situation around the Baltic Sea. 

Other areas of international activity may include cooperation with reserve organisations in other countries, Nordic defence-related networks, international military sports, courses, seminars, and professional events arranged by allied or partner organisations. 

The common requirement is relevance. International activity should strengthen the reserve officer profession, support military-civil capability, and contribute to Sweden’s defence and resilience. 

How To Get Involved 

Start as a member, contribute through competence 

We welcome all members, regardless of rank, branch or level of experience. The willingness to contribute is what matters most. A good path into international activity is to: 

Members may become involved as participants, delegates, subject-matter contributors, event organisers, product owners, committee members or representatives in international cooperation formats.  

To register interest in taking part, contact Sverof at kansli@sverof.se