Executive Summary
Cyber Defense Talent Pipeline: 200+ specialists annually through comprehensive development. Components: university cyber defense curriculum (defense-focused, not general IT), scholarship-for-service program (free education for 4-year service commitment), industry apprenticeships (hands-on experience), and CTF talent identification (competitions find natural talent). Pipeline: secondary school → university → apprenticeship → defense employment.
In short: 200+ cyber defense graduates annually; 100 scholarship-for-service students; 80% retention in defense sector
The Problem
Ukrainian cyber dominance: IT talent pool enabled cyber defense that defeated Russian attacks and launched offensive operations. Ukrainian cyber commander: 'We stopped their attacks because we had thousands of IT professionals. They couldn't hire enough hackers—we had them volunteering.' Lithuanian cyber gap: general IT graduates lack defense focus, brain drain to private sector, no scholarship-for-service model. Russia attacks Lithuania's cyber infrastructure regularly. Without deep cyber defense bench, one successful attack cripples critical infrastructure.