From JB MDL to world stage: Army Reserve Soldiers selected to compete among NATO's best

U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. David Kratky, left, combat medical specialist and operations noncommissioned officer in charge, 452nd Field Hospital, and U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Mick McCarty, support division operations officer, U.S. Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade, climb the rope ladder on the NATO obstacle course during the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) selection competition at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., April 1, 2026. Kratky and McCarty were among seven officers and five NCOs selected from the competition, held March 30 - April 3, to represent the United States this summer in Europe at the 2026 CIOR Military Competition, where reserve forces from NATO nations will compete in challenges that test teamwork, endurance and combat skills. (U.S. Army photo by Steven Roussel)