Now well into its third year, it’s safe to say the Russo-Ukraine war has ushered in a new type of warfare fit for this decade.
As resources run low and manpower becomes irreplaceable, combatants on both sides have resorted to McGuyver-esque tactics, such as jury-rigged drone cages, improvised wooden armor, and eScooter cavalry.
One especially important development has been the deployment of various drones, from hobbyist models flung up to do recon flights, to drone boats in the Black Sea.
But as with any conflict, Russia and Ukraine aren’t the only countries on high alert. Lithuania, too, is adapting to the changing battlefield in an unusual way: by training children to pilot military drones.
As first reported by The Guardian, the Baltic country recently announced the launch of a “civil resistance” drone academy, with hopes to train over 22,000 civilians — including school-aged children — in the fine art of drone warfare.
“We plan that 15,500 adults and 7,000 children will acquire drone control skills by 2028,” said Dovilė Šakalienė, the Lithuanian minister of national defense.
The long-term training program will reportedly begin with children as young as eight years old, and will scale based on students’ age. For example, the Lithuanian government said that elementary-aged students will learn to pilot simple drones by competing in games, while high-school students will learn to design, fabricate, and pilot advanced-level first-person view drones.
By September 2025, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, in conjunction with the Lithuanian Non-Formal Education Agency (LINEŠA), will open the country’s first three civilian drone academies, with another six in the works by 2028, the government announced.
“Unmanned aerial vehicle technologies are now an integral part not only of science and industry, but also of everyday life,” said Valdas Jankauskas, Director of LINEŠA, in a statement.
“Such programs develop not only technical skills, but also creativity, the ability to solve problems, and a responsible attitude towards the use of technology,” he continued. “I am convinced that these skills will be valuable both for future engineers and for every civically active person.”
For months, LINEŠA has offered commercial drone training programs for Lithuanian youth of all ages. Their latest venture, however, marks a notable escalation into the military realm.
The announcement comes just days after a Russian military drone drifted into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus while allegedly armed with explosives — the second drone incursion in the last month.
Lithuania joins fellow Eastern European NATO members Estonia and Latvia in introducing children to military drone maneuvers, a run-off of a conflict that has displaced some six million people, with a total cost of nearly half a trillion dollars.
More on drones: France Wants to Roll Out Robot Army by 2040
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