Riga: Lithuania plans to launch a new training programme in September for the construction and operation of drones for the general public and schoolchildren.
According to the Defence Ministry, three drone training centres are to be opened in the Baltic country, with the number of centres set to grow to nine in the coming years. “We are planning for 15,500 adults and 7,000 children to acquire drone control skills by 2028,” Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene was quoted as saying in a statement.
Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, has a population of 2.8 million. It borders Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad and its ally Belarus. According to the information provided, the content of the training programmes will be tailored to different age groups.
The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the population’s skills in the field of drone control and technology as well as civil resistance. More than €3.3 million ($3.8 million) is to be invested in the project, which is being carried out jointly by the Defence Ministry and the Education Ministry.
Drones play a central role in modern warfare.
Ukraine is increasingly relying on drones in its defensive campaign against the Russian armed forces, who in turn are using the unmanned aerial vehicles on the front line.
The Defence Ministry has previously offered courses in which participants were trained in the theory and practice of using drones. (DPA)