Executive Summary
Rocket and Missile Engineering Talent Program: 200+ engineers over 5 years through systematic development. Components: university specialization tracks at KTU/VGTU (50 graduates annually), Ukrainian partnership (Yuzhnoye exchange programs), defense R&D employment, and industry development. Focus: propulsion, guidance, systems integration. Peacetime: dual-use space/drone work. Crisis: rapid missile development capability.
In short: 200+ qualified rocket engineers by Year 5; 50 graduates annually from university programs; Ukrainian knowledge transfer partnerships
The Problem
Ukrainian engineering supremacy: Yuzhnoye Design Bureau engineers pivoted from space launch to military missiles in months—Neptune sank Moskva. Ukrainian rocket engineer: 'We built Soviet ICBMs. When war came, we built anti-ship missiles. Engineering knowledge transfers.' Lithuania lacks rocket engineering expertise—no university programs, no industry base, no talent pool. Strategic missile systems take years to master. Without indigenous engineering capability, Lithuania remains dependent on foreign suppliers who may not deliver when needed most. Building talent now enables options later.