The development of the national security system in Lithuania and contemporary security challenges

The article presents the institutional development of the system for the protection of national security in the Republic of Lithuania. The publication reveals the prevailing concepts of national security and describes the notions of national security established in Lithuanian legal regulation. The first view of security is that a traditional policy of security is based on the idea that all the members of society or individual interests are subordinate to the interest of the state. On the other hand, the theory of human security can be defined as giving priority to the security of the individual, and it states that human security is achieved only when basic material needs are met and meaningful participation in the life of the community and human dignity are realised. Further, the development of the institutions securing the national security of Lithuania are described from the period from 1990 when the Republic of Lithuania restored independence until the present time. Additionally, it reveals the existing concept of national security in the Lithuanian Republic, and describes the main threats to Lithuanian national security, dividing these into military, political and socio-economic sectors, and indicates measures taken to combat them. After carrying out an analysis of the Acts forming the national security policy in Lithuania and other related legal Acts it can be concluded that the dominant perception of Lithuanian national security is a broad concept of national security with strong emphasis on human security issues.