The 72-hour readiness programme is starting

A total defence platform initiated by leaders of Lithuania’s technology and start-up ecosystem marks a significant shift in strengthening the country’s national security and societal resilience - from a traditionally military understanding of defence towards a model based on the participation of every citizen. To advance this goal, the Total Defence Association has been established and a study has been prepared whose findings will provide the foundation for further work. Drawing on these findings, a total defence model tailored to Lithuania will be developed and tested together with international defence experts by the end of this year. The model will incorporate leading practices from Finland, Israel, Ukraine, Sweden and other countries.

The study was prepared by the New Generation Warfare Center, and its findings were assessed by former senior leaders of defence institutions in Finland, Israel, the Republic of Korea, NATO and the United States.

According to the study, Lithuania’s civic empowerment index stands at 41 out of 100, preparedness for emergencies is at 52 per cent, and 70 per cent of the population do not participate in civic activities. Defence experts regard societal resilience and the will to resist as a strategic form of national power that determines a country’s ability to survive and function during a prolonged crisis or conflict. Although Lithuania has significantly strengthened its military capabilities and made important decisions on defence funding in recent years, the country’s long-term security also depends on the ability of society, businesses and communities to act together.

Tomas Godliauskas, Head of the Total Defence Association and former National Security Adviser to the President of the Republic of Lithuania and Vice-Minister of National Defence, says that total defence must encompass the entire country - from state institutions to every citizen.

“The Association’s goal is to establish a shared understanding in Lithuania that every citizen has a duty to defend the state, just as the state has a duty to defend every citizen. The Association seeks to help society, businesses and organisations prepare for crises, strengthen societal resilience and implement the world’s leading total defence practices in Lithuania,” says Godliauskas.

According to the Association’s founders, a high-quality total defence system strengthens not only national security but also social and economic well-being. The experience of countries such as Israel, Finland and the Republic of Korea shows that defence needs can stimulate technological innovation, the development of high-value industries and access to new export markets.

“Total defence provides two equally important benefits: security and greater well-being for people. Protection from an external aggressor is the benefit most often mentioned, but there is another side to it - the social and economic impact. This includes lower levels of social exclusion, stronger communities, new jobs, increased revenue for municipalities and businesses, and innovations that can be exported. If we do not do this ourselves, no one will do it for us,” says Mantas Mikuckas, one of the Association’s founders and co-founder of Vinted.

The Association will initially focus on three areas: engaging society and organisations in total defence while strengthening their responsibilities and practical preparedness; increasing societal resilience and social cohesion; and adapting the most advanced practices from Finland, Ukraine, Israel and other countries to Lithuania’s needs. These approaches will be tested through pilot initiatives and, if successful, implemented more widely.

The Association invites businesses, non-governmental organisations, communities and citizens to join the initiative. According to its founders, societal resilience can only be strengthened when society as a whole assumes responsibility for national security.