Starting this week, Colonel Albert Helme will began service as the new Defence Attaché in Poland and Lieutenant Colonel Toomas Peda will began service as the new Defence Attaché in Denmark and Norway.

A defence attaché is a defence diplomat who promotes defence and security related co-operation between his host country and the Republic of Estonia. His functions also include the collection of information on national defence in the host country and introducing the national defence principles of Estonia. In total, Estonia currently has nine military attachés, covering the following countries: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, United States of America and Poland.

Now serving in Poland, Colonel Albert Helme was born on 24 September 1958. Helme graduated from the Omsk Higher Military School and the US Army Command and General Staff College. He has served in the Soviet Army as a platoon and company commander and in the Estonian Defence Forces as Chief of Staff of the Kalevi Infantry Battalion, in various positions in the HQ of the Defence Forces and HQ of the Defence League, as Infantry Inspector of the Estonian Army, instructor at the Baltic College and lastly as the Commander of the Northern Defence District.

Lieutenant Colonel Toomas Peda, new Defence Attaché to Poland, was born on 2 September 1969. He graduated from Tallinn University with a Master’s Degree in Organisational Behaviour and completed the Baltic Defence College’s Army Intermediate Command and Staff Course and Joint Command and General Staff Course. Lieutenant Colonel Peda has served in various positions in the Kuperjanovi Infantry Battalion and in the Pärnu Infantry Battalion, the Defence League’s Pärnu Unit, as Commander of the Estonian contingent in Kosovo, in various positions in the Peace Operations Centre and HQ of the Defence Forces and lecturer on tactics at the Estonian National Defence College.

The former Defence Attaché to Poland, Lieutenant Colonel Inno Miller and former Attaché to Denmark, Lieutenant Colonel Andress Kütt, will continue their service in the HQ of the Defence Forces.


Additional information:
Peeter Kuimet Press Officer of the MoD
Tel: 717 0116 / 56 56 41 88
peeter.kuimet@kmin.ee