Sustaining the Fight
ABCD 2026
Ilmar Tamm
Commander of the Estonian Defence League
Major General Ilmar Tamm has been the Commander of the Estonian Defence League since 2023. He voluntarily entered the conscript service of a freshly established Estonian Defence Forces in March 1992. He has received his military education in Finland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He has served at all levels of the signal branch, commanding troops from company to battalion level. His signal officer career included responsibility for leading the G6 Department of the General Staff and the J6 Department of the Joint Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces. Major General Tamm's duties include serving in many international posts, such as the G6 Section Head, Operations and Exercises, at the Allied Land Component Command Headquarters in Heidelberg (Germany), the Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, and the Commandant of the Baltic Defence College in Tartu (Estonia). Major General Tamm had deployed to Afghanistan as the Chief of CJ6 Ops, Joint Communication Coordination Centre at ISAF HQ, Kabul. Major General Tamm has been recognised with several awards: the Order of the Eagle Cross, 5th class; the White Cross of the Defence League, 2nd class; the NATO Meritorious Service Medal; and medals from the Home Guards of the Nordic Allies.
Updated: August 12, 2026