Kuuse dismissal raises questions over Estonia’s defence leadership

ERR journalist Madis Hindre said the dismissal of Kaimo Kuusk as chancellor of Estonia’s Ministry of Defence “does not look good” and raises questions about changes in the ministry’s leadership and the relationships of incoming Defence Minister Martin Herem.

Herem, a former commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, is taking over as defence minister after serving for two years as a strategic adviser to Frankenburg, a defence technology start-up whose leadership also includes former Chancellor Kusti Salm and former Defence Forces commander Veiko-Vello Palm.

Hindre said the situation also raises questions about responsibility for contracts signed by the State Defence Investment Centre, a state defence procurement institution, with Datasel. Most of those contracts were signed after Kuusk began work as chancellor in September 2024, but the current minister did not sign them.

Hindre said Salm’s responsibility was likely connected to the way the centre’s processes were organised, while Magnus-Valdemar Saar, its former director, signed the contracts in question.

He described a long-running conflict between two groups: one associated with Salm, Herem and possibly Palm, and the other with former Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur and Kuusk. Hindre said that if Herem believed he could not work with Kuusk, that was understandable in light of the history between them.

However, Hindre said the usual practice had been to protect a ministry chancellor from dismissal by a new minister and give the two six months to assess whether they could work together.

“It does not look good,” Hindre said of the decision to remove Kuusk. He said it was clear that the prime minister had made the decision and that he did not believe Pevkur had wanted to dismiss Kuusk, whom Pevkur had appointed.

Hindre also said he had heard from several sources that State Secretary Keit Kasemets had presented Kuusk with a stark choice during a conversation: leave voluntarily or face a less friendly departure. Hindre said he did not know the details and that such an account could refer to disciplinary proceedings and removal from office.

Regarding Herem’s links to Frankenburg, Hindre said the potential conflict of interest would have to be assessed through contracts and cooperation agreements. He said it was not yet known what roles Palm and Salm might take if they joined Herem’s team, but that their activities would be closely watched.