In the defence industry, security is not a separate function or a set of procedures applied after the fact. It is a way of thinking that shapes how companies hire people, design processes, cooperate with partners, and manage information. Organisations operating in this field must assume from the outset that they may become targets of espionage, intelligence gathering, or other hostile activities. That assumption influences every layer of operations.
According to Gintautas Vaičius, Chief Operating Officer at RSI Europe, the foundation of security in a defence company begins long before technologies are developed or products reach the market. It begins with people.
Security starts with people
At RSI Europe, security culture is embedded in the company from the moment a candidate applies for a job. Recruitment goes beyond assessing professional skills or experience. The company places significant emphasis on understanding who candidates are as individuals and how they perceive responsibility in the context of national security.
A large share of the company’s workforce consists of active or reserve military personnel and members of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union. This background brings with it an internalised security mindset and a clear understanding of the broader mission associated with defence technologies as well as specific know-how.
“In many sectors, recruitment focuses almost exclusively on whether a person can perform a specific function,” Vaičius explains. “In our case, we expand the criteria. We try to understand whether a person truly cares about the work they will be doing.”
This approach helps create a workforce that is naturally attentive to security risks in daily activities, rather than relying solely on formal rules or oversight.
A culture of caution across all operations
Working in the defence sector inevitably introduces a higher degree of caution into everyday operations. Decisions are rarely made after a single discussion or evaluation. Questions are revisited, solutions are double-checked, and alternative scenarios are considered before proceeding.
This level of scrutiny can slow down decision-making. The need to ensure security sometimes introduces additional complexity and uncertainty into processes. However, according to Vaičius, this is a necessary trade-off.
“Ensuring security inevitably lengthens certain processes,” he says. “But it also gives us more control and greater resilience.”
Security considerations influence every department within the organisation, although in different ways.
In supply chain management, partners are given the information required to perform their role effectively. The same approach applies in manufacturing: operators are trusted professionals who are equipped with the information relevant to their specific responsibilities, enabling them to focus, work efficiently, and uphold the highest standards of quality and security.
This approach is essentially a form of risk management. By limiting the spread of sensitive information, companies reduce the potential impact of leaks or malicious actions. However, such practices also make processes more complex and labour-intensive. Additional personnel may be required simply to manage risks, monitor information flows, and maintain secure procedures.
Maintaining discipline under pressure
The defence industry often operates under tight deadlines and rapidly evolving operational needs. Maintaining strict security procedures under such conditions can be challenging.
Here again, recruitment and internal culture play a crucial role. Employees who understand the significance of their work are more willing to go the extra mile when necessary. Rather than seeing procedures as bureaucratic obstacles, they view them as part of their responsibility.
External partners are evaluated in a similar way. RSI Europe maintains a list of trusted suppliers who have proven their reliability in demanding situations. Stressful projects or urgent requests often reveal which partners are capable of meeting strict requirements.
“Difficult tasks clarify the real picture,” Vaičius notes. “They show which internal and external resources are truly capable.”
Operating in the defence sector means accepting a certain level of uncertainty. Companies that enter this field do so knowingly and must be prepared to adapt to unpredictable challenges.
Innovation under strict security requirements
Balancing innovation with security is one of the central challenges in defence technology development. Rapid technological progress often requires collaboration with external experts and partners, yet every additional participant introduces potential risks.
RSI Europe addresses this challenge by relying heavily on internal resources. Keeping development in-house allows the company to maintain tighter control over sensitive knowledge and technologies.
Third parties are considered the least controllable element in any project. Internal teams, by contrast, operate within the company’s security culture and governance framework.
When speed is required, the company often prefers to adapt proven solutions rather than invent entirely new ones from scratch. Established technologies can be modified to meet specific operational needs while maintaining reliability and reducing development risks.
Listening closely to users also plays a key role. Feedback from operators — including those working in active conflict environments — helps the company prioritise the features and capabilities that matter most in real-world conditions.
“When the goal is to meet a clear operational need while maintaining security, you reach the result you are aiming for,” Vaičius says.
Screening employees and identifying threats
Employees working in sensitive defence-related roles undergo security checks by the Lithuanian State Security Department. These measures help safeguard sensitive technologies and protect the company, its partners, and end users.
Nevertheless, attempts to gather intelligence can occur in unexpected ways. From time to time, organisations in the defence sector face attempts to obtain information outside normal business needs.
Such incidents highlight the importance of awareness across the entire organisation.
At RSI Europe, security is a shared responsibility. It is embedded not only in formal procedures, but also in everyday decision‑making and attentiveness throughout the organisation.
“Everyone takes responsibility for everyone and everything,” Vaičius says. “Sometimes even more than necessary — but in this field, that level of caution is essential.”
Human error remains the most common risk
Despite advanced technologies and formal security systems, human error remains one of the most common sources of risk.
In many cases, the problem is simple information management. Email communication, for example, can easily lead to accidental disclosure of sensitive information. Forwarding entire message threads instead of sharing only the relevant details can expose internal discussions or confidential data.
To reduce such risks, RSI Europe has established internal procedures for handling sensitive information. Employees receive training on information security and are encouraged to review carefully what they share outside the company.
Another potential vulnerability lies in everyday conversations. Employees may unintentionally discuss aspects of their work with family members or friends who do not fully understand the sensitivity of the information. Once shared informally, such information can spread further without anyone realising the consequences.
For this reason, security awareness must extend beyond formal working hours.
Risks throughout the product lifecycle
Security risks appear at every stage of a defence product’s lifecycle, from initial design to delivery.
During the development phase, companies must ensure compliance with strict legal frameworks and certification requirements. Defence technologies are heavily regulated, and failure to meet regulatory standards can halt projects before they reach the market.
Once a product is designed, new risks emerge in the sourcing of components. Some parts must be manufactured internally to maintain quality and security, while others can be purchased on the open market.
Experience shows that a balanced approach works best. Producing everything internally would dramatically slow down development and increase costs, but relying entirely on external suppliers could compromise reliability or security standards.
Design control therefore becomes a crucial factor. When companies maintain authority over the design of their products and key components, they reduce dependence on external manufacturers and their policies.
Manufacturing itself introduces another layer of complexity. Production processes in defence technology are often highly intricate and must remain adaptable. Mobility and flexibility are essential risk-management tools, allowing teams to react quickly to unexpected challenges.
Vaičius emphasises the importance of empowering employees to make timely decisions within clearly defined responsibilities and streamlined lines of coordination. Creative and unconventional solutions are sometimes required to resolve operational issues without delaying production.
Managing complex supply chains
Defence industry supply chains are inherently complex and often span multiple countries. Ensuring that suppliers maintain appropriate security standards requires careful partner selection and continuous evaluation.
At RSI Europe, supplier reliability is assessed not only through formal criteria but also through real-world collaboration. Difficult situations — such as urgent deliveries or technical challenges — reveal how partners perform under pressure.
To protect sensitive information, the company shares only the minimum amount of data necessary for suppliers to fulfil their role. This approach reflects a realistic understanding of the limits of control in international supply chains: internal resources can be fully managed, but external environments cannot.
Supplier relationships are further governed by internal quality algorithms and procurement policies. The company maintains alternative supplier options to reduce dependence on any single provider. Having only one supplier for a critical component is considered a significant risk.
Potential supplier lists and processes are regularly updated to ensure flexibility in the event of disruptions.
The quiet nature of real security
In the end, the difference between companies with strong security cultures and those that treat security as a formality is often visible only in retrospect.
Organisations that take security seriously rarely appear in headlines because of incidents or breaches. Their success lies precisely in the absence of public crises.
“Security is the result of quiet, everyday work,” Vaičius says. “Not of slogans or declarations.”
In the defence industry, effective security rarely attracts attention. Yet it is the invisible framework that allows innovation, cooperation, and production to take place safely in one of the most sensitive technological sectors.