Lithuania is strengthening the resilience of citizens and their readiness for civil resistance
The preparation of not only the Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO allies, but also the entire state and society is important for deterrence and defense. January 26 approved the draft civic resistance strategy for the training of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania prepared by the Government of the Ministry of National Defense, which envisages the targeted involvement of citizens in strengthening security and defense. The main elements of citizen training identified in the strategy are: strengthening the will to defend the state, increasing resilience to modern threats, and developing specific knowledge and skills.
“What is it? It is a resistance to information-cyber attacks, but to the hybrid actions of aggressors and the like. The historical experience of Lithuania and other states shows that the most important pillars of the defense power are the citizens of the state, their will and determination to defend the state. I am convinced that every citizen, if needed because of his or her age or ability, can find the defense of his or her state, especially now that the range of threats includes both military and unconventional values, with peace forces trying to test public confidence in the state and vice versa. With this strategy, we aim to create a coherent system of training citizens, which includes both armaments and unarmed preparation opportunities, first of all by strengthening their resilience and capabilities, ”says the Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas.
According to the Minister, the strategy of preparing the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania for civil resistance to the implementation of the principle of universal defense: not only possible in the preparation of the state document, but also non-governmental organizations.
After the government approves the draft document, it will be further discussed in the Seimas.