CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve Language Academy offering courses for Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers

The CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve Language Academy (CLA) teaches English and French as a second language, emphasizing a NATO military lexicon while at the same time providing an orientation to CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve.

Zoom

Linguistic education: top notch

The instructors, qualified reserve officers as well as skilled linguists and teachers, are provided by CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve member nations and are selected through a competitive process.
The students are reserve officers and active-duty officers from NATO, or from PfPPartnership for Peace (Partnership for Peace) countries, or MDMediterranean Dialogue (Mediterranean Dialogue) countries. Through the Language Academy, they are provided an essential and indispensable tool to carry out international NATO business – the ability to communicate in one of NATO’s two official languages.

The summer academy runs annually for two weeks in a different host nation. Previous hosts have included Estonia, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, Turkey, The Republic of North Macedonia, and Greece. Students on both the English course (EFLEnglish as Foreign Language) and French course (FFLFrench as Foreign Language) have the opportunity to sit the STANAGStandardisierungsübereinkommen der NATO-Vertragsstaaten über die Anwendung standardisierter Verfahren oder ähnlicher Ausrüstung language examination run by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPESupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) at level 2 and 3. This language qualification is required for careers and deployments within NATO and is much sought after.

CLA founded in the year 2000

Established in 2000, the CLA was a CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve initiative in support of the Partnership for Peace program and to date has taught hundreds of officers from across 27 nations. In 2008 the first examinations were introduced to the FFLFrench as Foreign Language course, with EFLEnglish as Foreign Language examinations following in 2010. In 2017 the CLA was re-developed to address the needs of the modern-day military. Links have become established with the NRFCNational Reserve Forces Committee and SHAPESupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Brussels as well as WestPoint USA and the Paris Staff Officer College. In 2018 a record number of 130 students applied for the 100 spaces. In 2019 the academy developed a new social program and set out new criteria to encourage diversity in the student population. Since 2018, some students on the FFLFrench as Foreign Language course have been accepted on the Staff Officer Course in Paris.

Courses are available for students with military background

The CIORConfédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve Language Academy is open to Reserve Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers below 60 years of age, or with residual service remaining. Active Duty as well as Regular Officers and Senior NCOs are also welcome as a second priority.

Civilians with military affiliations may also apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The course is not suitable for beginners. All applicants should consider attendance at the academy as a progression tool in their military career.