Building Societal Resilience Against Hybrid Threats
Matthias Helf and Nick Nieschalke: Building Societal Resilience Against Hybrid Threats: Comparative Insights from Finland and Lithuania. AIES Focus 2025/5.
14.07.2025
This AIES Focus compares the national resilience strategies of Finland and Lithuania to derive lessons for strengthening Austria’s response to hybrid threats. It examines Finland’s comprehensive security approach, which is rooted in institutionalized whole-of-society cooperation, and Lithuania’s total defence approach, which integrates civil resistance and information resilience across all levels of society. Based on these cases, the paper outlines concrete recommendations to enhance Austria’s societal preparedness, public-private cooperation, and civic engagement in countering hybrid interference.
This publication builds upon insights generated during the panel discussion "Strengthening European Security: Enhancing Societal Resilience against Hybrid Threats", held on 8 April 2025 in Vienna. The event was jointly hosted by the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, the Embassy of Finland in Vienna, and the Embassy of Lithuania in Vienna. We are grateful for the valuable contributions and perspectives shared by the panellists: Mr. Teemu Tammikko (Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs), Mr. Darius Domarkas (Head of the Public Security Policy Department, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania), and Mr. Janne Känkänen (CEO, National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland).
National Emergency Supply Agency
Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania – Public Security Policy Group