Executive Summary
National Defense Institute: French IHEDN model adapted for Lithuania. Programs: 6-month flagship course (50 senior leaders annually), 3-month executive session (50 mid-career), 2-week intensive (50+ business leaders). Curriculum: threat assessment, military operations basics, civil-military coordination, crisis management, and total defense. Participants: CEOs, senior officials, media leaders, critical infrastructure managers. Result: defense-literate leadership class.
In short: 150+ graduates annually; 6-month flagship program established; 1,000+ alumni network by Year 5
The Problem
Ukrainian civilian leadership gap: business leaders who understood defense made better decisions during crisis—mobilization, logistics, civilian resistance. Ukrainian business leader: 'I never thought about defense before February 2022. Now I run supply chains to the front. I wish I'd understood logistics, military needs, chain of command before the bombs fell. Weeks lost learning basics.' Lithuanian gap: civilian leaders lack defense literacy. CEOs make infrastructure decisions without security consideration. Politicians vote on defense without understanding. Business continuity plans ignore military scenarios. Without defense-educated civilian elite, Lithuania cannot execute total defense.