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| Commander of the Defence Forces | |
|---|---|
| Kaitseväe juhataja | |
 Standard of the Commander of the Defence Force | |
.jpg) IncumbentMajor General Andrus Merilo since 1 July 2024 | |
| Estonian Defence Forces | |
| Type | Chief of defence |
| Member of | Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces |
| Reports to | Minister of Defence |
| Seat | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Nominator | Minister of Defence |
| Appointer | Government of Estonia |
| Term length | Five years (with option for another two years) |
| Formation | 1918 |
| First holder | General Johan Laidoner |
| Website | www.mil.ee |
The Commander of the Defence Forces (Estonian: Kaitseväe juhataja) is the Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces and the national defence organisations.
List of officeholders
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 | Laidoner, JohanGeneral Johan Laidoner (1884–1953) | 23 December 1918 1 December 1924 12 March 1934 | 26 March 1920 8 January 1925 22 June 1940 | 1 year, 94 days 38 days 6 years, 102 days Total: 7 years, 234 days |  Army | |
| 2 |
 | Jonson, GustavMajor General Gustav Jonson (1880–1942) | 22 June 1940 | 3 September 1940 | 73 days | Army Cavalry | |
| Vacant Soviet and German occupations | |||||||
| 3 |
 | Maide, JaanMajor General Jaan Maide (1896–1945) | 18 September 1944 | 24 October 1944 | 36 days | Army | |
| Vacant Soviet occupation | |||||||
| 4 |
 | Einseln, AleksanderGeneral Aleksander Einseln (1931–2017) | 1 May 1993 | 4 December 1995 | 2 years, 217 days | Army | |
| 5 |
 | Kert, JohannesLieutenant General Johannes Kert (1959–2021) | 23 January 1996 | 30 June 2000 | 4 years, 159 days |  Defence League | |
| – |
| Ermus, AarneLieutenant colonel Aarne Ermus (born 1966) Acting | 30 June 2000 | 21 September 2000 | 83 days | Army | |
| 6 |
 | Kõuts, TarmoVice Admiral Tarmo Kõuts (born 1953) | 21 September 2000 | 14 November 2006 | 6 years, 54 days |  Border Guard | |
| 7 |
 | Laaneots, AntsGeneral Ants Laaneots (born 1948) | 5 December 2006 | 5 December 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | Army | |
| 8 |
 | Terras, RihoGeneral Riho Terras (born 1967) | 5 December 2011 | 5 December 2018 | 7 years, 0 days | Army | |
| 9 |
_(cropped).jpg) | Herem, MartinGeneral Martin Herem (born 1973) | 5 December 2018 | 30 June 2024 | 5 years, 208 days | Army | |
| 10 |
| Merilo, AndrusMajor General Andrus Merilo (born 1973) | 1 July 2024 | Incumbent | 171 days | Army | |
See also
Notes
- First term served during Estonian War of Independence. Made commander-in-chief twice under martial law. Eventually removed from position on 22 June 1940, after Soviet Union occupied Estonia.
- Served as commander-in-chief following the forced resignation of Johan Laidoner following the Soviet Union's demand that the Red Army establish military bases and station 25,000 troops on Estonian soil for the duration of the war. Executed by Soviet authorities in 1942.
- Served as commander-in-chief in the period between the German occupation and second Soviet occupation. Captured by the Soviets on 24 October 1944.
- Resigned on 4 December 1995 due to a disagreement with the Minister of Defence.
- Was requested to make a resignation by the head of state, head of government and the Minister of Defence, but refused. Impeached by the President of the Republic on 30 June 2000.
- Requested to be resigned to enter politics.
References
- Toivo Miljan. Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. ISBN 978-0-8108-4904-4; pp. 185–186
- WORLD NEWS BRIEFS;Ex-U.S. Colonel Resigns As Estonian Army Chief - New York Times
- "Kindral Johannes Kert jääb kaitseväe juhiks". epl.delfi.ee. Archived from the original on 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ "Johannes Kert: "Ma isegi ei tea, kes just praegu olen!"". epl.delfi.ee. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- "Johannes Kerdi vabastamine ja Aarne Ermuse nimetamine". www.riigiteataja.ee. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- "President ülendas Tsahkna ettepanekul Terrase kindraliks". ERR. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- "Gallery: Maj. Gen. Herem takes over command of the Estonian Defence Forces". ERR. Retrieved 4 December 2018.