Herem pledges not to interfere in Merilo’s work

Estonia’s incoming defence minister, Martin Herem, will lead the Defence Ministry as a politician and will not interfere in the work of Defence Forces Commander General Andrus Merilo, he told ERR. Herem also said he plans to end holdings that could create conflicts of interest.

Herem said he initially hesitated to accept the prime minister’s offer because the position did not seem particularly appealing or pleasant. However, he believes someone needs to do the job for about six months and that he has the qualities required to manage it.

He said the six-month period should be used to assess when the security situation could become critical and where Estonia’s current preparations might fall short. Herem stressed that this would not mean predicting when a war would begin, but examining how the country’s development plans compare with the potential threat and what changes might be needed.

Herem said there might not be enough time to change many laws or accelerate processes significantly, but the government could identify what needs to change and what it would cost. He named the Baltic defence zone as a possible priority, saying that, in his assessment, work on it was currently stalled. He added that the issue involved more than digging trenches or installing concrete positions underground.

He also called for broader progress on air defence, including weapons procurement, surveillance systems, informing the public and planning by state institutions. Herem said this would require political support and communication so that the effort would be understood as an explanation of risks rather than fearmongering.

Addressing criticism that the security assessment was his personal assessment, Herem said Estonia’s intelligence agencies, including the Defence Intelligence Centre and the Foreign Intelligence Service, had reported that Russia was developing very quickly. He also referred to assessments from intelligence agencies in Denmark and Lithuania, as well as recent comments by Admiral Bauer, the former commander of the Dutch armed forces and former chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, who said Russia could become strong enough to test NATO within three years, even while the war in Ukraine continued.