"Gen. Herem has made persistent efforts to develop Estonia's defense capacity and served as a trustworthy and honest military adviser to the supreme commander of the armed forces," President Alar Karis said, adding that Herem has concentrated on those aspects that would help Estonia avoid war and win should it come to that.

The president highlighted Herem's contribution to the EDF adopting new weapons systems, boosting the level of preparedness of reservists and promoting regional military cooperation. Herem's leadership has also laid the groundwork for hosting allies and supported their readiness to work with Estonian units.

"One very important aspect is that Gen. Herem has always found the time and energy to explain to the Estonian people, clearly and in terms one can understand, aspects of the ongoing security crisis, military national defense needs and EDF activities," Karis said.

"Gen. Herem has shown himself to be a strong EDF commander and made the right and necessary calls for developing the armed forces over the last 30 years," the president said in terms of why he believes Herem has earned the top military rank in Estonia.

Gen. Martin Herem took over command of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) on December 5, 2018.

According to the Military Service Act, officer ranks are bestowed by the president of the republic following the proposal of the EDF commander or that of the defense minister in the case of the EDF commander.

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