Executive Summary
Civilian Drone Operator Reserve Registry: 5,000 registered drone pilots, racers, and high-skill gamers. Skills assessment via simulator testing. Voluntary weekend training (20 hours basic military drone orientation). Formal reserve status for those who complete training. Crisis activation procedures. Partnership with drone racing association, esports organizations, and gaming communities. Target: 5,000 registered, 2,000 simulator-assessed, 1,000 weekend-trained, 500 in formal reserve status.
In short: 5,000 civilians registered in database; 2,000 simulator-assessed with skill ratings; 1,000 weekend-trained in military drone ops
The Problem
Ukrainian FPV operator surge: civilian drone racers and competitive gamers became effective combat drone pilots in 2-4 weeks vs 3 months for complete novices. Transferable skills: joystick control, spatial awareness, quick reactions, video feed interpretation. Ukraine mobilized thousands of civilian pilots who now form backbone of drone force. Lithuania has estimated 3,000+ recreational drone pilots, 500+ drone racers, and 50,000+ competitive gamers—untapped reserve. Current military has ~300 trained drone operators. In crisis, demand jumps to 3,000+. Without pre-identified civilian pool, training pipeline takes 6+ months to scale. Registry enables 10x expansion in 30 days.