On the invitation of the President of the Republic, the National Defence Council convened on Sunday, August 27, in order to discuss the work of the command system reform working group that has been established to the National Defence Council. Minister of Defence Jüri Luik made a presentation on this subject.

During a little more than one and a half months that have passed since the establishment of the working group, the working group has held three meetings, where also experts from the defence forces and the Ministry of Defence have participated in addition to the working group members. On the basis of work done so far, the working group has drawn up an interim report, which explains in more detail the plans for reforming the command system in the defence forces, and the problems that have emerged. The report was introduced to the members of the National Defence Council by Minister of Defence Jüri Luik. The National Defence Council agreed with the interim report and requested that the final plan for command system reform be drawn up on the basis of the interim report for October 1 this year.

The President of the Republic also proposed a new candidate to the post of the Commander of the Defence Forces, Rear Admiral Tarmo Kõuts, Director General of the Estonian Border Guard Board, for discussion to the National Defence Council. The Council highly appreciated the work of Rear Admiral Tarmo Kõuts in building up the border guard organisation, establishing border guard bases and development of substructures. The National Defence Council reached the position that Rear Admiral Tarmo Kõuts will be nominated as a candidate to the post of the Commander of the Defence Forces after the release of Johannes Kert in the Riigikogu and after consultations with the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu. The National Defence Council made a proposal to the President of the Republic to refer to Rear Admiral Tarmo Kõuts as the candidate to the post of the Commander of the Defence Forces, whose candidacy would be officially proposed for the approval of the Riigikogu after consultations with the Riigikogu, in his address in the Riigikogu tomorrow. The National Defence Council reiterated its conviction, expressed already on its last meeting, that after the command system reform has been completed, Lieutenant General Johannes Kert will use all his officer's skills on the post of the Army Commander.

Prime Minister Mart Laar, Minister of Defence Jüri Luik, Minister of Foreign Affairs Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Minister of Internal Affairs Tarmo Loodus, Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu Tiit Tammsaar, and Acting Commander of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Aarne Ermus, participated on the meeting.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, August 27, 2000

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