Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces
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The Commander of the Defence Forces (Estonian: Kaitseväe juhataja) is the Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces and the national defence organisations.
List of officeholders
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laidoner, JohanGeneral Johan Laidoner (1884–1953) | 23 December 19181 December 192412 March 1934 | 26 March 19208 January 192522 June 1940 | 1 year, 94 days38 days6 years, 102 daysTotal: 7 years, 234 days | Army | ||
| 2 | Jonson, GustavMajor General Gustav Jonson (1880–1942) | 22 June 1940 | 3 September 1940 | 73 days | Army Cavalry | ||
| Vacant Soviet and German occupations | |||||||
| 3 | Maide, JaanMajor General Jaan Maide (1896–1945) | 18 September 1944 | 24 October 1944 | 36 days | Army | ||
| Vacant Soviet occupation | |||||||
| 4 | Einseln, AleksanderGeneral Aleksander Einseln (1931–2017) | 1 May 1993 | 4 December 1995 | 2 years, 217 days | Army | ||
| 5 | Kert, JohannesLieutenant General Johannes Kert (1959–2021) | 23 January 1996 | 30 June 2000 | 4 years, 159 days | Defence League | ||
| – | Ermus, AarneLieutenant colonel Aarne Ermus (born 1966) Acting | 30 June 2000 | 21 September 2000 | 83 days | Army | ||
| 6 | Kõuts, TarmoVice Admiral Tarmo Kõuts (born 1953) | 21 September 2000 | 14 November 2006 | 6 years, 54 days | Border Guard | ||
| 7 | Laaneots, AntsGeneral Ants Laaneots (born 1948) | 5 December 2006 | 5 December 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | Army | ||
| 8 | Terras, RihoGeneral Riho Terras (born 1967) | 5 December 2011 | 5 December 2018 | 7 years, 0 days | Army | ||
| 9 | Herem, MartinGeneral Martin Herem (born 1973) | 5 December 2018 | 30 June 2024 | 5 years, 208 days | Army | ||
| 10 | Merilo, AndrusLieutenant General Andrus Merilo (born 1973) | 1 July 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 290 days | Army |