Vilnius strengthens the boundaries with ditches, mined fields and barriers. In schools, drones become mandatory matter to form over 20 thousand citizens
Three territory protection belts and drones already taught in primary schools, so the southernmost of the Baltic countries faces the “Russian threat”.
With over 650 kilometers of border with Belarus and 270 km with Russia for Kaliningrad Oblast, Lithuania has decided to strengthen the defenses by announcing the establishment of a multi-level defensive line composed in part by anti-tank obstacles, containment ditches, mined fields and more, to fortify its boundaries.
The threat of drones and the new defensive line
The trigger seems to have been the episode of 28 July last, when an unidentified drone had flown the territory without being intercepted. The Lithuanian army had begun a program of renewal of its defenses in December 2015 with the acquisition of tanks and armored vehicles from the surplus of the German army, for a value of over 610 million euros.
Subsequently, the nation had hosted international military exercises and temporarily also western aircraft, including some from Italian departments.
The Ministry of Defense of Vilnius said that the Baltic state opted for the creation of a three -level defensive border that has the purpose of delaying or blocking enemy movements in the event of an attack by land.
Three levels of barriers
The Ministry of Defense explained that the first level, five kilometers long, would be behind the control point of the country’s border and would consist of ditches and anti -tank obstacles, mined fields, fortified points and trenches.
The second level, 15 kilometers long, will include drainage ditches and places to store equipment for genius.
The third barrier will instead be a forest with trees of size that can be quickly cut down by constituting limitations to the movements of a possible opponent along the roads.
Droni as compulsory school material
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has communicated that the construction and use of drones will be compulsory study subjects in schools as part of a large national program to strengthen the ability to face future threats from the east.
The idea is to have at least 20,000 people formed to master UNMANNED technology and apply it in civil resistance.
Training will take place by age groups: in primary schools, the students will assemble and will learn to pilot simple drones, while more advanced design and use skills will be taught in secondary school programs.
Training and training
Defense Minister Dossil Šakalienė said: “By 2028 about 15,500 adults and 7,000 children will acquire skills in controlling drones”. There are training centers in Tauragé, Jonava and Kėdainiai from next month, and six other centers within the next three years.
The training on the field will be carried out by the auxiliary body of the Lithuanian rifles and by the agency for complementary education, through dedicated courses.
Deputy Minister of Defense Thomas Godliauskas explained that secondary school students will learn the foundations of programming and the construction of drones for indoor use, while those of high schools will reach the design of parts for drones with FPV piloting capacity.
Italy and the Droni sector
The growing request for mechatronic and robotic technicians has made strategic training. Today China, USA and India dominate the sector, while Italy and Europe remain behind.
However, Italy can be considered advanced: in addition to the military production of Leonardo and the civil production of several companies, the D-Flight from the ENAV records over 60,000 operators and vehicles. In schools there have been training initiatives and dedicated competitions for years, also at university level.
At the Air Force World Championships in China (7-17 August), for the specialty of the drones, Italy was represented by the twenty-two year old Luisa Rizzo, the Italian champion and world gold pluri of the category.
In short, not for state organization as for private initiative Italy is “on the piece”. But it remains a lot to do as regards teaching civic education and the care of the territory. Even using more drones.
