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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Relevance of the research problem

The special geopolitical situation of Eastern Europe

from a security point of view determines the need to

be ready for joint defense having a strong and

motivated army composed of members each of whom

is a personality as a totality of all personal qualities

personal, social, and subject competences. The

Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea is currently a field of

tension caused by information war in terms of threats

from the East, which poses a real danger of potential

war. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are members of

the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),

however, they are in a special military threat zone of

their eastern neighbor.

On the one hand, being a member of NATO is a

great achievement for these countries because

NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and

ABSTRACT: The aim of this article is to consider a naval officer as a leading personality from a strategic point of

view in respect of the challenges and opportunities of professional development, by characterizing the needs

and changes of the naval officers’ profession and discussing the transition period for the training of Lithuanian

naval officers. The main methods applied to the research are scientific literature analysis, document analysis,

interpretation, and synthesis. The basic methodological principles of the research are as follows: humanism,

personalism, and cognitive psychology. The type of the research is a descriptive study. The changes, such as the

absence of a clear border between the front line of action and the back area, expression of war as a changing

depending on the relevant geopolitical challenges and potential threats, as well as technological and social

changes.

On the other hand, it is very likely that during a

The problems of professional training of officers,

The subject of the research is the challenges of the

The aim of the article is to consider a naval officer

The tasks of the research are as follows:

The basic methodological principles of the

worldview that considers the human being as the

highest value on planet Earth; the value of an

individual embodies the meaning of educating

him/her by enabling him/her to express

himself/herself freely and responsibly in a society;

this worldview is a basis for a free personal

training, as well as for self-training in respect of

gaining motivation and preparing for the naval

officer’s professional life;

of personal consciousness and cognition by

making the directions of personal self-

development and person’s professional expression

The type of the research is a descriptive study.

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of enemies, by attacking them under favorable

conditions. This allows to achieve the best battle

results with fewer resources – so that smaller forces

could suppress larger ones.

war is such a practical and dynamic thing that it

makes no sense to spend time thinking about the war;

when bullets are buzzing around, there is no time to

War is a changing and, at the same time, constant

phenomenon. In order to understand the interaction

between these two elements, it is important to

constantly research and reflect on the real image of

war and its departure from the ideal image. Since the

restoration of independence, Lithuanian soldiers have

participated in many international missions in Bosnia,

Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, off the coast of Somalia,

and in Mali. What principles and ideas were used to

prepare for these missions? Why were some ideas or

The training of officers is a tradition of the British

military thought adopted by NATO. The military in

Lithuania has been newly created. The best western

tradition and models have been adopted and applied.

Thus, in fact, we can tell our colleagues abroad about

The crisis in Ukraine and the aggressive foreign

policy of the Russian Federation has changed the

modernization of the army that has been underway

since 2016 and has received a great deal of public

tasks, and who are able to persuade and motivate.

The main values and qualities of a naval officer are

patriotism, loyalty, commitment, honesty, courage,

respect, honor, and extensive professional knowledge

related to the old maritime traditions, high culture of

communication, and opportunities to participate in

international exercises in both hemispheres of the

In his article “Separate but Equal – a Look at

Warfare is one of the most complex activities.

Soldiers often have to deal with very difficult

conditions, which pose a threat to their lives and

health, endure heavy physical exertion, and

experience various psychological and spiritual shocks

development based on a comprehensive approach to

his/her personality. The main areas of organization of

officers

In 1992–2014, the Lithuanian Naval Forces had the

In 2004, the Republic of Lithuania became a

In addition, Lithuanian naval officers notice that

The greatest burden of naval officer training falls

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under the bachelor’s study program and develop the

qualities of a leader in parallel. The Lithuanian

Military Academy is based on the science of warfare

and pursues that the Lithuanian Armed Forces are

characterized by the officers who are tactically and

technically proficient, confident, and able to make

appropriate decisions in critical circumstances.

Lithuanian Maritime Academy, which is a non-

university type of school focused on civil study

programs, such as Marine Navigation, Marine

Engineering, Marine Transport Logistics Technology,

tactics, weapons, shooting, military engineering,

communications, and military topography.

The Lithuanian Maritime Academy is training

leading seafarers, i.e. marine navigators, marine

junior officer commander training successfully, they

rarely associate their professional future with the

Naval Forces.

with the procedures approved by NATO.

programs of foreign military academies, including

comprehensive training covering the needs of

modern warfare. A strategic decision on more

effective training of Lithuanian naval officers in such

a transition period should integrate comprehensive

training, by defining how to strengthen the

connection between their preparation and the

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3 CONCLUSIONS

In summarizing the problematical analysis of a naval

officer as a leading personality from a strategic point

of view, it can be stated that:

− The changes, such as the absence of a clear border

between the front line of action and the back area,

expression of war as a changing and, at the same

time, constant process, and changes in the social

environment of the officer profession, when the

challenges are not always purely physically

alternative options, understanding of changes in

the social environment, and appropriate response

to them;

− Considering the transition period for the training

of Lithuanian naval officers at non-foreign

military academies, their professional training in

light of the aforementioned problems, changes,

and needs, should be strengthened by

collaboration with the Alliance’s partners, by

updating existing training programs and