We Are Building up the Defence Forces of Independent, Democratic Estonia, and Not a Soviet Armoured Unit


In his interview to ''Eesti Päevaleht'', Lennart Meri hopes that Johannes Kert, one of Estonia's best officers, whom the President unexpectedly released from the office of the Commander of the Defence Forces, would continue his service two steps lower, in the position of Army Commander.

Why did you release Lieutenant-General Kert from the office of the Commander of the Defence Forces in the middle of summer, and without the Parliament?

I made the proposal to release Lieutneant-General Johannes Kert from the office of the Commander of the Defence Forces to the Riigikogu, because I as the Supreme Commander of National Defence considered it necessary from the viewpoint of the command of Estonian national defence.

I assure you that Lieutenant-General Kert is one of Estonia's best officers, and his services to the Republic of Estonia so far have convincingly proved that without him, the defence forces could not have accomplished what they have accomplished today.

But the defence forces are facing structural reforms that are going to improve their efficiency and flexibility. In order to implement out the structural reforms, we need a commander of the defence forces who would be absolutely convinced of their necessity and capable to administer the reforms with a firm hand. I should like to hope that Johannes Kert would participate in this process on one of the key positions - as the Commander of Estonian Army.

Can the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces make staff decisions concerning important constitutional institutions all by himself and apply a creative approach to legislation, to put it mildly?

The Supreme Commander of National Defence only makes his decisions within the boundaries set by the Constitution and laws, and takes into consideration the traditions of democratic rule of the law. Prior to making my decision, I consulted the members of the National Defence Council who were in Estonia at the time. With all due respect, the Commander of Defence Forces is not a constitutional institution. Otherwise Estonia would be a militarised country, not a democratic one. The Constitution also mentions Ambassadors. But they are not constitutional institutions either.

What is the current status of Kert? Is he in reserve or in staff reserve? As far as I know, our current laws do not foresee such a situation.

Lieutenant-General Johannes Kert has been assigned to staff officers' reserve in accordance with the Service in the Armed Forces Act. My directive is duplicated by the directive of Aarne Ermus, Acting Commander of the Defence Forces. After the Riigikogu has approved the release of Johannes Kert, it is possible for me to appoint him to a new post in the Defence Forces.

What reasons would you give to the public for proposing Brigadier-General Märt Tiru to the post of the Commander of the Defence Forces, knowing that Kert, who was so far the Commander of the Defence Forces, has several times imposed upon him disciplinary punishments for the use of alcoholic beverages? Do you believe Kert will bend to serve under a man whom he does not respect as an army leader?

For me, the politicians' ardour to undermine a person's repute with such filth is detestable. Märt Tiru was an excellent Acting Commander of the Defence Forces, and has received only positive ratings also from the media. The answer to your question is contained in my resolution from June 30, by which I conferred the rank of Brigadier-General on Märt Tiru. The defence forces of the Republic of Estonia are characterised by subordination to the orders of the immediate commander. The questions common to press rhetoric will not arise in the Estonian defence forces. The officers of the Republic of Estonia are loyal, and the Estonian defence forces are fully subordinated to civilian control. Any implications to the contrary are obloquy of the defence forces.

Why do you hope the Parliament to approve Märt Tiru to the office of the Acting Commander of the Defence Forces?

If I present someone to the Riigikogu as a candidate, I expect him to get the Riigikogu's support.

Who is the next candidate to the office of the chief of the defence forces to be proposed by the Supreme Commander of National Defence?

In this matter, I shall make up my mind for the regular session of the Riigikogu.

Have you considered the possibility that neither Kert nor Tiru could be acceptable to the Parliament? Is there a possibility that Estonia remains temporarily without a Commander of the Defence Forces, just as the Bank of Estonia had no president for a while?

Defence forces of a democratic state are never without a commander, not for a second. In the matters of national defence, our Riigikogu has shown their statesmanly approach. I would like to point out the gradual increase of national defence expenditure. I am certain that the Riigikogu will maintain sound judgement also in this procedure. On Wednesday evening, President of the Republic's advisory body in the matters of national defence, the National Defence Council, gathered in Kadriorg. The National Defence Council discussed important matters related to the command of the defence forces. Among other matters, the National Defence Council proposed to me to convene the extraordinary session of the Riigikogu in August in order to decide the release from office of the Commander of the Defence Forces. I believe that considering the principles of the reform of the command system, we will be able to develop the Estonian defence forces towards the goal set by the society without any obstacles. This goal, as we all know, is the readiness of the Estonian defence forces to accede to NATO in the year 2002.

Do you consider the current national defence command system provided by the Estonian Constitution to be appropriate? Why?

We must all unswervingly proceed from the valid Constitution. This is my reply.

Should the National Defence chapter of the Constitution be amended?

Amendments must be made when they are necessary. And the accurate assessment of our needs is a complicated task demanding a lot of care. I am convinced that the Riigikogu's roundtable for amending the Constitution can separate the ostensible needs from the real ones. And this is important knowledge that we can consider a value in itself.

Why are all the commanders of the defence forces at loggerheads with the ministers of defence after a mere couple of months' employment? Is this a result of the contradictions in the Constitution or inadequate staff management?

The command of Estonian defence forces has always proceeded from the best intentions and great resolve. The visions of different people with considerable resolve have served as the basis for the development of defence forces, not as the reason of being ''at loggerheads''. Estonian defence forces do not act in such categories as ''at loggerheads''. Recently, I have heard of no arguments between the command of the defence forces and the Ministry.

Do officers with Soviet background hinder the development of national defence? Could they prove to be a greater threat than the pro-Estonian Captains and Majors with the background of a universal farm machinery engineer?

I have emphasised several times that the decisive factor of Estonia's development is whether we will be able to free ourselves from the Soviet burden. In building up the defence forces, this need is no less prominent than in any other area of life. We have to bring out the meaning of the concept of independent, democratic Republic of Estonia anew for ourselves every single day. For the defence forces, this means that they have to keep in mind every day that we are building up the defence forces of independent, democratic Estonia, and not a Soviet armoured unit.

Why have you promoted Johannes Kert so fast, and still not enabled him for a long time to acquire the knowledge that his rank requires? Do you really believe that an army chief on General's level is born in a day?

The development of General Johannes Kert as an officer is remarkable. His good study results in the Armed Forces College of the Untied States confirmed this. He was the student with the highest rank, but fitted well to the team. I am convinced that Johannes Kert's promotions have accurately followed his development, as well as that of the Estonian defence forces.

Did you as the President hope when promoting General Kert that he would continue as the Commander of Defence Forces for the next 20 years? What use does a small country have for a Lieutenant-General who is 40-45 years old?

The same problems have already occurred with the young Estonian public servants and businessmen. Life goes on, and we should welcome new challenges instead of worrying about our status. There is still a lack of competent officers in the Republic of Estonia. We need every officer we have. The future generations of Estonian officers, as well as their opportunities for development and supplementary training are the most decisive factor in the development of the Estonian defence forces. Besides, I can assure you that the forthcoming structural reforms will especially enhance the opportunities for development. Structural reforms will strengthen the basis for the development of capable and strong officers.

Why has Estonia as a state not defined the threats to our security or drawn up a detailed plan for dealing with these threats on the national level? Which official or institution should be responsible for this?

It is true that also our security partners have underlined weakness of the strategic planning of our national defence as one of our main shortcomings. I, the Ministry of Defence, and the General Staff of the Defence Forces are responsible for this together. The national defence strategy will soon be completed, and the forthcoming structural reform is part of it. As long as we do not free the hands of our army leaders for planning and presume that they should daily address the problems of purchasing soap and iron beds, we will not have long-term plans, or operative and tactical doctrines; we will not know what typical Estonian army units should look like; neither can we work out our own concept of logistics or many other things. Please do not misunderstand me, we have accomplished much, but a lot still remains to be done.

What are the greatest threats to Estonia's national security and sovereignty? Who or what could guarantee Estonia's security?

Our own sloth and stupidity are the greatest threats. And our wisdom and will to defend our country are the best guarantees we have.

What key would open the door to NATO? What do the NATO countries base their decision on?

Our own capability and will to build up our national defence are our key to NATO. And on this basis, also the NATO members will make their decision. Today, our ratings are positive. Our efforts are recognised and our partners have confirmed that we are on the right track to membership. As George Robertson said, Estonia is one of those at the top of the class, and this praise was pleasant to hear.


Peeter Tali

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