Army Academy (Finland)

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Army Academy
Maasotakoulun joukko-osastotunnus.svg
Insignia of the Army Academy
Active2001-: Maasotakoulu
CountryFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
Branch Suomen Maavoimien tunnus.svg Finnish Army
TypeMilitary school
RoleCareer, reservist and conscript training
Sizeca. 600 career personnel [1]
ca. 430 "ordinary" conscripts [2]
ca. 110 3rd year cadets of the land warfare line [3] [4]
ca. 700 officer students during reserve officer courses [5]
Part of Finnish Army
Garrisons Lappeenranta, Hamina
Colors Maasotakoulun lippu.svg

Army Academy (Finnish : Maasotakoulu, abbr. MAASK) is a brigade-level unit of the Finnish Army responsible for:

Contents

History

Army Academy carries the traditions of the Finnish Army NCO training that begun in the Vöyri war school om the 26th January 1918, during the Finnish Civil War. After the war, in 1921, the regular NCO training began in Viipuri, in the former Russian teachers' seminary of Markovilla where the Infantry NCO School was established. [6]

After the Second World, in 1945, the peace-time career NCO training of the Infantry NCO School was restarted in Lappeenranta. The current Army Academy is the organisational successor of this institution. After the NCO corps was reformed as the warrant officer corps during the reforms of 1970's and -80's, the school was renamed first as Command, later as Defence Institute (Finnish : Päällystöopisto, Maanpuolustusopisto). [6]

After the warrant officer education was phased out, the Defence Institute was reformed as the Army Academy, a brigade-level service school directly under Defence Command. The Army Academy received the responsibility for the service-specific part of the education of the Army officers. After the Finnish Defence Forces re-established the career NCO corps, the responsibility for their training was assigned to the Army Academy, too. [6]

Since 2008, when the Finnish Army was established as a separate service, the Army Academy has been a brigade-level unit under the Army Command. In the organisational reforms of 2015, all branch-specific schools of the Army were merged with the Army Academy, where they sre company-level units under the direction of the Army Training Center, a battalion-equivalent unit. In the same organisational reform, the Reserve Officer School was downgraded from a brigade-equivalent to a battalion-level unit and merged under the command of the Army Academy. [6]

Organisation

The Headquarters of the Army Academy are in Lappeenranta. Otherwise, the Army Academy is formed of the following units: [7]

The Training Centre specialises in the training of the Army career personnel. The Reserve Officer School gives, in addition to the eponymous reserve officer training for conscripts and reservists, normal conscript training for infantry, reconnaissance, transport and military police conscripts in two companies which are located in Hamina. [9] [10]

Formerly, the conscript company in Lappeenranta, the Dragoon Troop (Finnish : Rakuunaeskadroona) which acted as a support unit for Lappeenranta garrison was, after the disbanding of Häme Regiment, the last unit bearing the branch colours of cavalry in Finland. The Dragoon Troop was disbanded in 2016, and with it, the tradition of Finnish cavalry ended. [11] [12]

References

  1. ↑ Ajatukset laajempiin kokonaisuuksiin Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . Maasoturi 2/13, p. 5. (in Finnish). Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  2. ↑ Jääkärikomppania, Kuljetuskomppania, Rakuunaeskadroona. Finnish Defence Forces. Retrieved 2015-02-20
  3. ↑ Kaikki paikat täyttyivät Archived February 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Finnish Defence Forces. (in Finnish) Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  4. ↑ Valintaopas 2015: Sotatieteiden kandidaatin ja maisterin tutkintoihin johtavat opinnot Archived February 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , p. 10. Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu. Finnish Defence Forces. (in Finnish). Retrieved 2015-02-20. According to the document, 3rd year cadets spend most of the year in service academies. In addition, 2nd year cadets study the spring semester mostly in service academies.
  5. ↑ Reserviupseerikurssi 243 VAISTO päättyi Archived February 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Finnish Defence Forces. (in Finnish) Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Maasotakoulun historiaa ja perinteitä, Finnish Defence Forces, retrieved 2026-02-01
  7. ↑ Maasotakoulun organisaatio Archived January 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Finnish Defence Forces. (in Finnish). Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  8. ↑ Maavoimien tutkimuskeskus Archived February 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Finnish Defence Forces. (in Finnish). Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  9. ↑ Varusmiehenä meillä, Finnish Defence Forces, retrieved 2026-02-01
  10. ↑ Maasotakoulun alokasinfo, Finnish Army, retrieved 2026-01-02
  11. ↑ Rakuunaeskadroonassa säilyy jatkossakin aito rakuunahenki Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine . Rakuuna 2014. Rakuunakillan tiedotuslehti. (in Finnish) Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  12. ↑ Schönberg, Kalle (2016-12-15), "Hakkaa päälle" viimeisen kerran – rakuunoiden aikakausi päättyi Lappeenrannassa, Yle, retrieved 2026-02-01

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