Upon the proposal of the Commander of the Defence Forces Major General Riho Terras, the Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu today released Brigadier General Peeter Hoppe from the position of the Chief of the Headquarters of the Defence Forces as of 8 July and appointed Navy Captain Igor Schvede as the new Chief of the Headquarters.
Brigadier General Hoppe will continue his service as the military representative of the Defence Forces at NATO Allied Joint Force Command HQ.The Minister of Defence had a meeting with Brigadier General Peeter Hoppe and Navy Captain Igor Schvede today. “The appointment of Brigadier General Hoppe as the representative of the Defence Forces at NATO Allied Joint Force Command HQ clearly shows the importance of our cooperation with NATO,” said the Minister of Defence.
“With his very extensive planning experience, the task of Brigadier General Peeter Hoppe is to contribute to the development of NATO’s defence plans. That is directly related to the security interests of Estonia.”
According to the Commander of the Defence Forces General Major Riho Terras, Brigadier General Peeter Hoppe has, while heading the Headquarters of the Defence Forces, done remarkable work in developing the Estonian NATO defence plans and is therefore very up-to-date in that area.
“I made a proposal to Brigadier General Hoppe to become Estonia’s representative at NATO Allied Joint Force Command HQ,” said Major General Riho Terras. “Estonia needs such an experienced officer as Hoppe at NATO Allied Joint Force Command HQ and vice versa – Brigadier General has experience in a small country building its defence forces so as to ensure the maximum ability to defend itself. Estonia’s primary independent defence capability and the NATO collective defence need to be combined into an unbreakable defence shield.”
Peeter Hoppe joined the Estonian Defence Forces in 1993 and started his service in the Kuperjanov Battalion as a platoon commander and worked his way up to the position of the commander of the same battalion. From 2000 to 2002, he served in the Operations Department of the Headquarters of the Defence Forces, where he rose to become the Chief of Department from 2002 to 2005. He has also served at the NATO Allied Joint Force Command HQ Brunssum as the Chief of Section at the Planning Department.
From 2011, Brigadier General Hoppe has held the position of the Chief of the Headquarters of the Defence Forces. He has been one of the key persons in the development of Estonia’s defence plans and in the preparation of the national defence development plan. He was also one of the initiators of the major military training exercise Kevadtorm (Spring Storm) and one of the authors of the current conscription training curriculum.
Brigadier General Hoppe has graduated from the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute, the Finnish National Defence University, and the US Army War College and has defended his Master’s degree in military strategy at the US National Defense University.
Igor Schvede joined the Defence forces in 1993. He began his service in the MCM Squadron of the Navy, later rising to the position of the Chief of the Squadron. He has also served as the Chief of the Baltic Naval Squadron BALTRON, as the Commander of the Navy and, since September 2012, as the Deputy Chief of the Headquarters.
Navy Captain Schvede has also served at the NATO Maritime Component Command at Northwood, the United Kingdom. During his service abroad, he participated in a NATO operation in Afghanistan, serving as the Communications Officer for the ISAF Headquarters at the Defence Ministry of Afghanistan.
Igor Schvede has graduated from the Nakhimov Naval School, the Frunze Higher Naval School in St. Petersburg and the Senior Officer Course at the Baltic Defence College. He completed the Naval Warfare Course at the US Naval War College in 2012.
In the past year, Navy Captain Schvede has greatly contributed to the national defence development plan, also leading the preparation of the implementation of the development plan. During his years of service in the Navy, he has contributed to the development of the international cooperation capability of the Navy.
Pursuant to the Peace-time National Defence Act, the Commander of the Defence Forces makes a proposal to the Minister of Defence for the appointment and release from office of the Chief of the Headquarters of the Defence Forces.
Further information:
Lieutenant Commander Ingrid Mühling
Chief of the Press Division of the Headquarters of the Defence Forces
Tel 51 79 326
[email protected]
Artur Jugaste
MoD Press Officer
Tel 585 40 355
[email protected]