Martin Herem


Martin Herem is an Estonian General and was the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces 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] and from 2016 to 2018 Chief of Staff of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces. Herem was one of the re-founding members of the paramilitary Estonian Defence League in 1990.
On 24 January 2023, Martin Herem was promoted to the rank of general.
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 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. 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 Estonian Defence League in Rapla.