Estonian government dismisses Defence Ministry chancellor

The Estonian government dismissed Defence Ministry Chancellor Kaimo Kuusk at its Thursday meeting, ERR reported. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur proposed the decision.

Kuusk’s dismissal is linked to an upcoming change of minister. Martin Herem, who has been proposed as the next defence minister, made Kuusk’s departure one of his conditions for taking the post, leaving the incoming minister greater freedom over personnel decisions.

A ministry chancellor can be dismissed from public service if the minister determines that cooperation between the minister and the chancellor is not working. The Public Service Act says a chancellor cannot be dismissed before six months have passed since the minister and chancellor began working together.

Kuusk said in a letter to ministry employees on Tuesday that he would not submit his own resignation and that the government would have to dismiss him.

Pevkur said that defence leadership could not function without basic trust and the ability to cooperate between the minister and the ministry’s highest-ranking official.

“Defence ministerial candidate Martin Herem has fundamentally ruled out cooperation with Kaimo Kuusk. In a situation where the prime minister wants Herem to become the next defence minister, this decision must also be considered substantively. The development of national defence cannot be held hostage by mutual distrust between the minister and the chancellor,” Pevkur said.

He said it would not be justified, given the current security situation, to leave a deliberate conflict in the Defence Ministry’s leadership that could affect the management of the ministry and national defence as a whole.

“Estonia does not currently have the luxury of spending the next six months on internal power struggles. If the next defence minister’s position is that cooperation with the current chancellor is impossible, a decision must be made that allows national defence leadership to move forward,” Pevkur said.

Pevkur stressed that the decision did not diminish the importance of Kuusk’s work or his contribution to Estonia’s national defence.

Kuusk’s last working day as Defence Ministry chancellor will be September 15. He has held the position since September 1, 2024.