Former Estonian Defence Forces officers criticize possible special powers for Herem
In Estonia, former senior officials of the Defence Forces criticized the approach to nominating reserve general Martin Herem as a candidate for defence minister. In an ERR News column, they said that the prime minister should explain what powers he plans to grant the new head of the defence ministry and what the mechanisms of political accountability and oversight will be.
The Reform Party nominated Herem as a candidate for defence minister. As the authors noted, two government ministers have already resigned. According to them, Herem named among his conditions the right to make personnel decisions, a political mandate to act across ministries and state institutions, as well as the ability to quickly amend laws, rules and procedures. According to the authors' account, these demands are explained by the need to rapidly strengthen the country's defence capability.
The role of the government and parliament
The authors emphasize that laws in Estonia are adopted and amended by the Riigikogu. The government may initiate legislative changes and ask parliament to consider them under an expedited procedure, but legislative power does not belong to the executive branch.
In the former officers' view, a broad mandate for one minister, including the right to intervene in areas of responsibility of other agencies, could effectively create the position of a leader with special powers. They believe that the coordination of national defence, which encompasses the economy, energy, internal security, infrastructure, healthcare and other areas, should be carried out by the head of government.
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Conflict of interest and previous decisions
The column also raises the issue of a possible conflict of interest arising from specialists moving between the defence industry and state positions. The authors refer to the annual review by Estonia's Internal Security Service, which drew attention to the risks of so-called “revolving doors.” In their view, clear rules should protect the state, companies and fair competition in the defence market.
The authors also mentioned Herem's decisions while serving as commander of the Estonian Defence Forces during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccination requirement he introduced resulted in dozens of people being dismissed from service, and courts later found some of those dismissals unlawful.
In addition, the former officers criticize the haste in defence procurements. They claim that following a deal on artillery shells, Estonia received neither the ammunition nor the money spent on it, while European Commission inspectors are to examine whether the state fulfilled its obligations regarding proper verification.
