LONDON

Lithuania announced the creation of a civilian force which would operate during wartime, local media reported on Sunday.

"We are turning a new page in society-wide defense," public broadcaster LRT quoted Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas as saying at a news conference.

The report said authorities want to recruit civilians trained in the use of firearms, as well as those with prior military experience, medics, and others willing to help defend their towns and villages with or without weapons.

Lithuanian officials have previously said the country is mostly drawing its approach from Ukraine's experience in its war with Russia, which began in February 2022.

In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kasciunas and his Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz both pledged last month to help Kyiv repatriate fighting-age men who left the country to avoid being sent to the battlefield.

Meanwhile in April, neighboring Latvia approved amendments to its military service law that allows foreigners to serve in special units of its armed forces in the event of an emergency.

A total of 27 offices of the new Lithuanian civilian units, also called Komendanturos, will be stationed across the Baltic nation bordering the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and work alongside civilian authorities, such as city councils and regional municipalities, during armed conflict, said the broadcaster.

According to Kasciunas, the units will be made up of people who have previously served in the military and are part of the reserve force, which includes around 80,000 people who completed their military service more than a decade ago.

Additionally, members of a government-controlled paramilitary force, known as the Riflemen's Union, will also be part of the new units.

The Riflemen's Union currently consists of over 14,000 members, including its youth branch. By the end of this year, over 2,500 will be assigned to the Komendanturos, according to Kasciunas.

The units will include civilian volunteers who will also be responsible for tasks such as setting up roadblocks, enforcing curfews, guarding strategic objects, civil defense, and other tasks.

Those assigned to Komendanturos are expected to pledge an oath and would be considered deserters if they fled in times of war, according to LRT.

Around 10,000 people are expected to join before the first round of admissions closes on Aug. 31, LRT said.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian military will be tasked with providing recruits with an automatic weapon and ammunition, a first-aid kit, an armored vest and a helmet, as well as a gas mask, according to the broadcaster.

The first units of Komendanturos will begin training in October, planned to reach full readiness in 2025, the Defense Ministry confirmed.