Martin Herem (born 17 December 1973) is an Estonian

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and was the

Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces The Commander of the Defence Forces () is the Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces and the national defence organisations. List of officeholders , -style="text-align:center;" , colspan=8, ''Vacant'' Soviet and German occupations , - , -st ...

from 2018 to 2024. Herem entered into service in 1992. From 2013 to 2016 he served as the Commandant of the

Estonian National Defence College The Estonian Military Academy () is an institution of applied higher education for national defence in Tartu, Estonia. The institutions mission is to train and educate regular officers for the Estonian Defence Forces and Estonian Defence Leag ...

and from 2016 to 2018 Chief of Staff of the

Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces The Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces is the working body of the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces and joint staff of the Estonian Defence Forces. Its main tasks include supporting the activities of the Commander and Deputy Comm ...

. Herem was one of the re-founding members of the paramilitary

Estonian Defence League The Estonian Defence League (, 'Defence League') is a voluntary paramilitary national defence organization of the Republic of Estonia, under management of the Ministry of Defence. Its aim is to guarantee the preservation of the independence and s ...

in 1990. On 24 January 2023, Martin Herem was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. Herem became the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces in December 2018. His tenure was extended for another two years in October 2022, in the interests of stability in the backdrop of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. On 16 January 2024, Herem announced his plan to step down from the post in the summer of 2024, calling the situation stable enough for the change of leadership, which it might not be in the end of his tenure in two years time.

Military career

*09.1992–06.1996 Estonian National Defence College, cadet *07.1996–02.1998 Kuperjanov Single Infantry Battalion, Platoon Leader *02.1998–07.1998 Kuperjanov Single Infantry Battalion, Company Executive Officer *07.1998–11.1998 Kuperjanov Single Infantry Battalion, S3 Staff Officer *11.1998–01.2000 Tartu Single Infantry Battalion, S3 Staff Officer *01.2000–07.2000 Tartu Single Infantry Battalion, S3 Staff Commander *07.2000–07.2001 Tartu Single Infantry Battalion, Staff Commander *08.2002–08.2003 Estonian National Defence College, Instructor of the Tactics Department *09.2003–02.2006 Estonian National Defence College, Head of the Tactics Department *02.2006–06.2006 Operation Iraqi Freedom II training mission Senior Staff Officer with US brigade *06.2006–04.2007 Estonian National Defence College, Head of the Tactics Department *04.2007–05.2008 Tapa Training Center, Staff Commander *06.2008–07.2012 North-Eastern Defence Command, Commander *07.2012–08.2013 Estonian National Defence College, Deputy Commander *08.2013–07.2016 Estonian National Defence College, Commandant *07.2016–12.2018 Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, Chief of Staff *12.2018–06.2024 Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces

Awards, decorations, and recognition

Decorations and badges

Personal life

Martin Herem is married and has a son and two daughters. He is one of the grandchildren of

Harri Moora Harri Moora ( in Ehavere, Kuremaa Parish – 2 May 1968 in Tallinn) was an Estonian archaeologist. He was a recipient of the national Cross of Liberty. Life In 1925, he graduated from the University of Tartu. Between 1930–1942, he was a ...

. One of his hobbies is marathon running. He has participated in the organisation of the Järvakandi marathon. He is fluent in English and Russian as foreign languages. He is also one of the re-establishers of the

in Rapla.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herem, Martin 1973 births Living people Military personnel from Tallinn Estonian generals Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class II