Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces
{{Short description|Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Commander
| body = the Defence Forces
| native_name = {{lang|et|Kaitseväe juhataja}}
| flag = Flags of Estonia - Commander-in-Chief.svg
| flagsize =
| flagborder =
| flagcaption = Standard of the Commander of the Defence Force
| insignia =
| insigniasize =
| insigniacaption =
| image = Andrus Merilo 2024 (cropped).jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| incumbent = Major General Andrus Merilo
| acting =
| incumbentsince = 1 July 2024
| type = Chief of defence
| status =
| department = Estonian Defence Forces
| style =
| member_of = Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces
| reports_to = Minister of Defence
| residence =
| nominator = Minister of Defence
| appointer = Government of Estonia
| appointer_qualified =
| termlength = Five years (with option for another two years)
| termlength_qualified =
| constituting_instrument =
| precursor =
| formation = 1918
| first = General Johan Laidoner
| last =
| abolished =
| succession =
| abbreviation =
| unofficial_names =
| deputy =
| salary =
| website = {{URL|http://www.mil.ee/en/defence-forces/commander|www.mil.ee}}
}}
The Commander of the Defence Forces ({{langx|et|Kaitseväe juhataja}}) is the Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces and the national defence organisations.
List of officeholders
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder = y
| showimage = y
| officeholder_title = Commander
| showtermlenght = y
| showparty = n
| showdefencebranch = y
| showref = y
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 1
| image = Johan Laidoner.jpg
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = Johan Laidoner
| officeholder_sort = Laidoner, Johan
| officeholder_note = {{efn|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.}}
| born_year = 1884
| died_year = 1953
| term_start = 23 December 1918
1 December 1924
12 March 1934
| term_end = 26 March 1920
8 January 1925
22 June 1940
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1918|12|23|1920|03|26}}
{{ayd|1924|12|01|1925|01|08}}
{{ayd|1934|03|12|1940|06|22}}
{{small|Total: 7 years, 234 days}}
| ref =
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 2
| image = Major General Gustav Jonson.jpg
| military_rank = Major General
| officeholder = Gustav Jonson
| officeholder_sort = Jonson, Gustav
| officeholder_note = {{efn|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.}}
| born_year = 1880
| died_year = 1942
| term_start = 22 June 1940
| term_end = 3 September 1940
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1940|06|22|1940|09|03}}
| defence_branch = 50px
Army
Cavalry
| ref =
}}
|-style="text-align:center;"
|colspan=8|Vacant
Soviet and German occupations
|-
{{Officeholder table
| order = 3
| image = Jaan Maide.jpg
| military_rank = Major General
| officeholder = Jaan Maide
| officeholder_sort = Maide, Jaan
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Served as commander-in-chief in the period between the German occupation and second Soviet occupation. Captured by the Soviets on 24 October 1944.}}
| born_year = 1896
| died_year = 1945
| term_start = 18 September 1944
| term_end = 24 October 1944
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1944|09|18|1944|10|24}}
| ref =
}}
|-style="text-align:center;"
|colspan=8|Vacant
Soviet occupation
|-
{{Officeholder table
| order = 4
| image =
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = Aleksander Einseln
| officeholder_sort = Einseln, Aleksander
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Resigned on 4 December 1995 due to a disagreement with the Minister of Defence.}}
| born_year = 1931
| died_year = 2017
| term_start = 1 May 1993
| term_end = 4 December 1995
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1993|05|01|1995|12|04}}
| ref = Toivo Miljan. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XKWRct15XfkC&dq=state+department+einseln&pg=PA185 Historical Dictionary of Estonia.] Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-4904-4}}; pp. 185–186[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E3DB1E39F937A35751C1A963958260 WORLD NEWS BRIEFS;Ex-U.S. Colonel Resigns As Estonian Army Chief - New York Times]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 5
| image = Johannes Kert extract.jpg
| military_rank = Lieutenant General
| officeholder = Johannes Kert
| officeholder_sort = Kert, Johannes
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Was requested to make a resignation by the head of state, head of government and the Minister of Defence, but refused.{{cite web|title=Kindral Johannes Kert jääb kaitseväe juhiks|url=http://epl.delfi.ee/news/eesti/kindral-johannes-kert-jaab-kaitsevae-juhiks?id=50832499|website=epl.delfi.ee|accessdate=2018-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119234956/http://epl.delfi.ee/news/eesti/kindral-johannes-kert-jaab-kaitsevae-juhiks?id=50832499|archive-date=2018-01-19|url-status=dead}} Impeached by the President of the Republic on 30 June 2000.{{cite web|title=Johannes Kert: "Ma isegi ei tea, kes just praegu olen!"|url=http://epl.delfi.ee/news/melu/johannes-kert-ma-isegi-ei-tea-kes-just-praegu-olen?id=50846125|website=epl.delfi.ee|accessdate=2018-01-19}}}}
| born_year = 1959
| died_year = 2021
| term_start = 23 January 1996
| term_end = 30 June 2000
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1996|01|23|2000|06|30}}
| defence_branch = 50px
Defence League
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = –
| image =
| military_rank = Lieutenant colonel
| officeholder = Aarne Ermus
| officeholder_sort = Ermus, Aarne
| officeholder_note =
| born_year = 1966
| died_year =
| term_start = 30 June 2000
| term_end = 21 September 2000
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2000|06|30|2000|09|21}}
| acting = y
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 6
| image = Tarmo Kõuts.jpg
| military_rank = Vice Admiral
| officeholder = Tarmo Kõuts
| officeholder_sort = Kõuts, Tarmo
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Requested to be resigned to enter politics.}}
| born_year = 1953
| died_year =
| term_start = 21 September 2000
| term_end = 14 November 2006
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2000|09|21|2006|11|14}}
| defence_branch = 50px
Border Guard
| ref =
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 7
| image = Ants Laaneots 2011.jpg
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = Ants Laaneots
| officeholder_sort = Laaneots, Ants
| officeholder_note =
| born_year = 1948
| died_year =
| term_start = 5 December 2006
| term_end = 5 December 2011
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2006|12|05|2011|12|05}}
| ref =
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 8
| image = Terras2018.jpg
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = Riho Terras
| officeholder_sort = Terras, Riho
| officeholder_note =
| born_year = 1967
| died_year =
| term_start = 5 December 2011
| term_end = 5 December 2018
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2011|12|05|2018|12|05}}
| ref = {{cite web|title=President ülendas Tsahkna ettepanekul Terrase kindraliks|url=http://uudised.err.ee/v/eesti/044efb80-5e2e-4b71-bdd6-3651e4fa58a7/president-ulendas-tsahkna-ettepanekul-terrase-kindraliks|publisher=ERR|access-date=20 February 2017}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 9
| image = Lisaõppekogunemine Okas 2023 Lõuna maakaitseringkonnas (52877661629) (cropped).jpg
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = Martin Herem
| officeholder_sort = Herem, Martin
| officeholder_note =
| born_year = 1973
| died_year =
| term_start = 5 December 2018
| term_end = 30 June 2024
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2018|12|05|2024|06|30}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order = 10
| image = Andrus Merilo 2024 (cropped).jpg
| military_rank = Major General
| officeholder = Andrus Merilo
| officeholder_sort = Merilo, Andrus
| officeholder_note =
| born_year = 1973
| died_year =
| term_start = 1 July 2024
| term_end = Incumbent
| timeinoffice = {{ayd|2024|07|01}}
| ref =
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}