Conflict brewing again in Estonia's defense field

The circumstances surrounding the departure of former Chancellor Kusti Salm (in the background) continue to stir emotions in the defense sector even months later. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (center), with Deputy Chancellors Kristel Mändmaa, Susan Lilleväli, Tiina Uudeberg, and Tuuli Duneton from left to right. Illustration: Kollaaž/Postimees

The shadows of the summer munitions dispute are still haunting Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, with tensions rising again after fellow Reform Party MP and Riigikogu defense committee member Meelis Kiili expressed the desire to draw up a national defense report.

There are now concerns about whether the real purpose of the report is to find an excuse to get rid of certain people. Tension was also fueled by a revelation last week that a Defense Ministry official had made a report to the Internal Security Service citing the possibility that Pevkur may have disclosed a state secret in a radio interview.

Pevkur maintains that he had no involvement in the report idea, and several sources also note that there are other alternatives to going through a long process with the Riigikogu in order to get rid of people in the ministry.

Kiili notes that this report will not evaluate individuals, but analyze the functioning of the system. According to the daily, Pevkur was against drawing up a report back in the spring. Even now, he is not publicly pledging his support for it. However, several sources speculate that even if he did not initiate the report himself, he may have seen in Kiili a new ally whose report could help fulfill his own goals.

In the prime minister's circle, Pevkur is causing discontent in broader terms: when it comes to public image, he could be a minister in charge of a ministry of dreams, where hundreds of millions of euros are spent every year and where he can stand in the spotlight week after week with more "barrels" arriving, new arms purchases, and other good news. Everything is supposed to be beautiful. But instead, he fails to keep the peace in his own house and adds fuel to the fire of conflict: in interviews, he talks about how lavishly Martin Herem and Kusti Salm have talked about Estonia's munitions shortages, thus making life easy for our enemy.

Or why did he so grandly raise the subject of higher state officials needing a "cooling-off period" and question Martin Herem and Kusti Salm's move to the defense industry? Similar thoughts are often expressed by him on a much greater scale in chats with people behind the scenes, sources tell Postimees. In short, he is found to be stirring up too much trouble. Moreover, a sense of resentment towards Salm and employees of his own ministry is too evident in Pevkur's behavior and posture.

As it emerges from the minutes of the national defense committee, Kiili wants to summon all four deputy secretaries general of the Defense Ministry as part of the report. On the one hand, some sources have told Postimees that the assumption that the intention is to find a pretext for getting rid of certain people is overly far-fetched. If Pevkur really wanted to do this, there would be much simpler ways than going through such a long process via the Riigikogu. However, others concede that making changes in the ministry would not be so simple: it is not possible to lay off people because the work needs to be done, and outright dismissal is either awkward or impossible if there are no direct work-related criticisms. Thus, this report could indeed create such reproaches.

"Do you really think that the national defense committee is so stupid as to accept such orders from the minister?" Kiili replies to Postimees. "This report will not be an assessment of individuals but an analysis of the functioning of the system," he says. However, an item published by Delfi last week includes a sentence in which Kiili says there is no reason for intrigue, but that it may (and may not) arise when they complete the report. That, too, adds momentum to the general anxiety.

The truth about Pevkur is most likely somewhere in between, Postimees believes.

Furthermore, when the idea for the report was formulated during a committee meeting a week ago, it came as a surprise to many of Kiili's colleagues in the committee. Fellow Reform Party members on the committee are also not exactly enthusiastic about the idea of the report.

"The national defense committee should engage in legislative work, and the management of the ministry should be left to the minister and the secretary general," MP Kristo Enn Vaga says.