This article analyzes the career planning model for officers in the Lithuanian Armed Forces as one of the key instruments to develop human capabilities and ensure military readiness. The purpose of the study is to assess how the interaction between vertical and horizontal career paths is defined in officer career planning documents and what impact this interaction has on the development of officers’ competencies, leadership continuity, and institutional resilience of the defence system.

The study used a qualitative content analysis of normative and strategic documents. It was found that the vertical career of officers in the Lithuanian Armed Forces is regulated systematically and consistently: evaluation of officer service, professional military education, and individual career plans provide the foundation for planned development of leadership competencies. Meanwhile, the importance of horizontal career development is only highlighted fragmentarily in the documents, more often treated as a preparatory measure for vertical advancement or a form of compensatory rotation, rather than as an independent mechanism for strengthening the professional experience, specialized competencies and institutional flexibility of the officers.

The results of the study suggest that the limited integration of horizontal career paths into the career planning system can narrow the spectrum of officer competencies and reduce the ability of the defence system to adapt to changing security circumstances. The article substantiates the need to strengthen the value of horizontal career paths in the officer career model in order to ensure sustainable human capabilities, the resilience of military leadership, and more effective implementation of defence decisions in the context of national security.