29th International Air Reserve Symposium in Tours
“It is very important to welcome you here in France, in Tours, for this international event. Your presence illustrates the strength of our cooperation and the growing importance of the reserve within our armed forces,” emphasised Air Force Lieutenant General Philippe Hirtzig, Director of Human Resources for the Air and Space Force, at the opening of the symposium. He went on to point out that the reserves now have an even greater “strategic role in supporting active forces, which is crucial to achieving our objectives”, and that they must be regarded as an integral part of air and space defense.
Training at the heart of discussions
This year, the IARS, which focused on the theme of 'Readiness and Training of Reservists', fostered constructive exchanges between delegations. Discussions centred on the growing importance of initial training and ongoing training, as well as the need to adapt training programmes to the professional constraints of reservists, who have limited time available. Optimisation was the watchword. One of the representatives from the US National Guard emphasised that “current conflicts, where fighting takes place on home soil rather than overseas, are forcing us to change our perspective, and this change must be implemented right from the training of reservists”. The round-table discussions and workshops provided an opportunity to compare national approaches, identify avenues for harmonisation and, above all, explore interesting operational methods. For the Royal Air Force, 'there is a growing tendency to value the skills our reservists bring from civilian life rather than training them all in the same way'.
Visit to Orléans-Bricy Air Base
In addition to the working sessions, the delegations met with aircrew at Orléans-Bricy Air Base 123. The visit included: a presentation of BA 123 by the base commander, a tour of the Béarn transport squadron and the A400M, and an introduction to the operational equipment of the BFSA (Air Special Forces Brigade) units present on site: CPA 10, CPA 30 and CASV (Airborne Training Centre). The 32 representatives from the nine nations expressed their desire to build on this momentum.
“The symposium is not an end in itself, but a starting point for moving forward together and strengthening our interoperability,” summarised a British officer. All agreed to meet again for the 30th edition of the IARS in 2026, which will mark a symbolic milestone in the history of this international cooperation, which began in 1992.
