Obituary: Johannes Kert, the former Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces
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Johannes Kert, who as the former Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces led Estonia towards NATO and helped rebuild the Estonian military, has died at the age of 61; the boots of this straightforward military man, who didn’t waste words or spare time for niceties, will be impossible to fill, the Estonian MP, Eerik-Niiles Kross, writes.
The Estonian political, defence and military life has suffered an unexpected loss. Lieutenant general Johannes Kert, who played an integral role in rebuilding the Estonian Defence Forces, has died far too soon at the age of 61. A gravitational force that strengthened Estonia’s confidence in its post-independence defence, he was also the brain behind NATO’s early cyber defence initiatives and a formidable politician and MP in the latter years of his life.