RSU researcher Vitālijs Rakstiņš contributes to the development of the first resilience programme

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) researcher Vitālijs Rakstiņš was part of an international team of security and resilience experts involved in the development of the first Resilience Programme (2023–2025). The task of creating this training programme came from NATO military academy commanders and was implemented by the NATO Partnership for Peace Consortium, bringing together experts from various countries, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Israel, Turkey, and NATO headquarters.

The project's goal was to develop materials for NATO and its partner countries' military academies and security universities, incorporating the topic of resilience into their curricula. Resilience is a new concept aimed at transforming preparedness culture and ensuring readiness for all types of threats (an all-hazard approach). It focuses on critical functions, operational continuity, and the involvement of the entire society (whole-of-society approach) in security, including aspects such as resistance strategies. The training materials aim to enhance national resilience against military and non-military threats and challenges to national security, including natural disasters, critical infrastructure disruptions, hybrid threats, and armed attacks.

After nearly three years of expert work, the final product—the Resilience Reference Curriculum—was presented and endorsed by NATO’s Resilience Committee. This resource is now available to any interested party.

You can download the Resilience Reference Curriculum here.

It is worth noting that Rakstiņš has integrated some of the knowledge and materials gained from the project into the study courses of RSU Faculty of Social Sciences (for example, in the course on National Security). Additionally, he has developed a module for the new joint master's programme on Countering Hybrid Threats, which is being created by the three Baltic States.