Johannes Kert

Johannes Kert (3 December 1959 – 4 March 2021)^[1] was an Estonian politician and military officer. He served as the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces from 1996 until 2000. He retired from the military in 2008. Since 2014, Kert had been a member of the Estonian Reform Party.

Johannes Kert
Kert in 2015
Born	(1959-12-03)3 December 1959 Pechory, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	4 March 2021(2021-03-04) (aged 61)
Allegiance	Soviet Union (1981–1991) Estonia (1991–2008)
Branch	Soviet Army Estonian Land Forces
Years of service	1981–2008
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	Estonian Land Forces (2001–2002) Estonian Defence Forces (1996–2000) Estonian Defence League (1993–1996) Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion (1992) Tartu Malev (1991)
Awards	See: Awards, decorations, and recognition

Effective dates of promotion

Soviet Army

See Military ranks of the Soviet Union

Promotions

Insignia	Rank	Date
	Lieutenant (лейтена́нт)	1981
	Senior Lieutenant (ста́рший лейтена́нт)	1984
	Captain (капита́н)	1988

Estonian Land Forces

See Military ranks of Estonia

Promotions

Insignia	Rank	Date
	Captain	1992
	Major	21 June 1993[2]
	Lieutenant Colonel	1 February 1995[3]
	Colonel	23 January 1996[4]
	Major General	4 June 1997[5]
	Lieutenant General	19 June 1998[6]

Awards, decorations, and recognition

Decorations and badges

Estonian Awards and decorations 2nd Class of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle 2001 White Cross of the Estonian Defence League (I class) 2008 White Cross of the Estonian Defence League (II class) White Cross of the Estonian Defence League (III class) Cross of Merit of the Ministry of Defence (I class) 2009 Cross of Merit of the Ministry of Defence (II class) 2009 Distinguished Service Decoration of the EDF 20 February 2001 Order of Merit of the Estonian Defence Forces 18 May 2005 Merit Medal of the Defence League Special Class Gold Cross of the Officer of Land Forces Estonian Defence Forces General Staff Cross of Merit 12 November 2003 Merit Medal of the Defence League I Class Merit Medal of the Defence League II Class Memorial Medal "10 Years of the Re-Established Defence Forces" NCO School Medal of Merit Golden Cross of the Rescue Board 18 February 2002 Border Guard Cross of Merit I Class Memorial Medal 10 Years of the Re-Established Border Guard (I Class) Cross of the Estonian Reserve Officers’ Assembly (gold) 12 June 2001[7] Former Estonian Forest Brothers Association Service Cross II class) "City locked down" 20 year Memorial Medal Foreign Awards Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland (Finland) Golden Medal of Merit Finnish Reserve Officer Association (Finland) Order of Finnish Non-commissioned Officers League (Finland) Blue Cross (Finland) Cross of the Association of Military Guilds (Finland) Order of Merit of Latvian Ministry of Defense (Latvia) Award of the Minister of Defense badge of honor "For contribution to the development of the armed forces" (Latvia) Medal for Diligency in Military Service (Latvia) State of Maryland Distinguished Service Cross (U.S.) CISM Order of Merit Grand Knight (International) Baltic Assembly Medal 25 October 2018 (International)[8]

Badges Order of Merit of Kuperjanov Battalion The Order of Merit of the Estonian National Defence College The Order of Merit of the Estonian Reserve Officers’ Assembly The Order of Merit of Estonian Border Guard "Sword and Lynx" Order of Merit of Defense League unit in Jõgeva Order of Merit of Defense League unit in Läänemaa Order of Merit of Defense League unit in Tallinn 10 year service badge of Defense League unit in Tallinn Order of Merit of Defense League unit in Tartu Order of Merit of Defense League subunit in Tartu Order of Merit of Defense League unit in Narva The Board of Elders of the Estonian Defence League member badge