Career

Before starting work at the Ministry of Defence, my last direct experience with the administrative area was conscription, after which I moved abroad for more than ten years. Having studied and worked in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Silicon Valley, the outbreak of the full-scale war against Ukraine made me reflect more deeply on my greater purpose. I realized that I should try to apply my knowledge and experience for the direct benefit of Estonia.

Although returning to Estonia involved quite a few challenges, working at the Ministry of Defence promised to be exactly the kind of opportunity where I could directly influence strategic security decisions. Upon joining the Innovation Department as an advisor, I began working on implementing international cybersecurity cooperation projects and analyzing the application of new technologies in defense.

Today, I am the deputy head of the department and, in addition to general management, I help coordinate the activities of the national foundation CR14 cyber exercise field and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Although the position is challenging, working at the ministry has given me invaluable experiences and introduced me to many remarkable people both inside and outside the administrative domain.

I am confident in our country’s will and capability to defend itself, but national defense is never complete, and therefore I remain motivated to continue working in this field.

For me, service in the Defence Forces is a vocation in the literal sense of the word — a calling for life. During my long service, I have met colleagues with whom it is easy to serve because the goals and reasons for service are clear and shared: to defend the homeland. As a young man from Narva, I can personally confirm that a career in the Defence Forces does not depend on your mother tongue, but only on your own will.