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| Vänrikki | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Finland |
| Next higher rank | Luutnantti |
| Next lower rank | Sotilasmestari |
Vänrikki (Finnish: [ˈʋænrikːi] ) (Second lieutenant, Swedish: Fänrik), from the German fähnrich , is a Finnish commissioned officer rank (OF1). A typical assignment for a professional vänrikki is as junior instructor of recruits.
The rank vänrikki is used in active service by reserve officers who remain in service as for 6-to-12-months-long volunteer contract period. In addition, it is the lowest reserve officer rank.
The rank has been mainly a reserve rank. The future conscript officers are selected from the whole pool of conscripts. After a basic training of two months, a portion of the conscripts are selected for NCO training. After 2 months of NCO training, the most suitable are selected for reserve officer training and promoted to officer students. The 3½-month-long reserve officers training usually takes place in the Reserve Officer School, and afterwards, the candidates are promoted to officer cadets (Finnish : upseerikokelas). They serve the remaining 5½ months of their conscription practicing as platoon commanders as well as training other conscripts. Finally, successful officer cadets are discharged with the rank of vänrikki. In the reserve, reserve officers may be promoted up to majuri (Major), although there have been extraordinarily promotions to everstiluutnantti (Lieutenant Colonel). The Navy equivalent rank is aliluutnantti (Sub-Lieutenant).
If mobilization is effected, officers in the reserve fill most junior officer duties of the war-time Finnish army. Especially, most platoon and company commander positions and junior staff officer duties are filled with reservists.
The National Defence College accepts both reserve officers and reserve NCOs. Those cadets who did not receive reserve officer training during their conscription are usually promoted to the personal rank of vänrikki during their studies. However, upon graduation, professional officers are promoted to luutnantti.
During the early 21st century, the National Defence College also had a one-year program to commission professional officers with the rank of vänrikki and a fixed service term of five years. The rank is the lowest commissioned officer rank.
Formerly a school called Maanpuolustusopisto (MpO) had vänrikki as the rank given to new graduates. These officers were known as opistoupseeri (usually translated "Warrant Officer"), and could be promoted up to yliluutnantti , senior lieutenant, (company vice-commander), and later, to kapteeni (company commander). The opisto level ceased to exist in Finland (other schools were redefined as ammattikorkeakoulu) in the end of 1990's. However, in the military, the MpO was decommissioned. All officers are now trained by the National Defence College. Any existing MpO graduates may obtain further education to upgrade their degree to a university degree.
Simo Häyhä, believed to have the highest number of sniper kills in any major war, was extraordinarily promoted to vänrikki, from alikersantti (Corporal), personally by Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim.
The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) (Finnish: Puolustusvoimat, Swedish: Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy, and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime, the Finnish Border Guard becomes part of the Finnish Defence Forces.
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.
Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, serjeant, is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British light infantry. Its origin is the Latin serviens, 'one who serves', through the Old French term serjant.
The Reserve Officer School, located in Hamina, Finland, near the southeastern border, is responsible for the training of most Finnish reserve officers.
Feldwebel is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia and Bulgaria.
Officer candidate or officer aspirant (OA) is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an officer. More often than not, an officer candidate was a civilian who applied to join the military directly as an officer. Officer candidates are, therefore, not considered of the same status as enlisted personnel.
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is usually a former active-duty member of the armed forces, and they remain a reservist either voluntarily, or by obligation. In some countries such as Israel, Norway, Finland, Singapore, and Switzerland, reservists are conscripted soldiers who are called up for training and service when necessary.
The military ranks of Finland are the military insignia used by the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks incorporate features from the Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, the system has some typically Finnish characteristics that are mostly due to the personnel structure of the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks have official names in Finnish and Swedish languages and official English translations. The Swedish forms are used in all Swedish-language communications in Finland, e.g. in Swedish-speaking units of the Finnish Defence Force. The system of ranks in the Swedish Armed Forces is slightly different.
The ranks in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reflect an individual's level in the military.
Fähnrich is an officer candidate rank in the Austrian Bundesheer and German Bundeswehr. The word Fähnrich comes from an older German military title, Fahnenträger, and first became a distinct military rank in Germany on 1 January 1899. However, Fähnrich ranks are often incorrectly compared with the rank of ensign, which shares a similar etymology but is a full-fledged commissioned officer rank.
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war. During peacetime, reservists typically serve part-time alongside a civilian job, although most reserve forces have a significant permanent full-time component as well. Reservists may be deployed for weeks or months-long missions during peacetime to support specific operations. During wartime, reservists may be kept in service for months or years at a time, although typically not for as long as active duty soldiers.
Sergeant is a Swedish (OR6) and Finnish (OR5) military rank above överfurir in Sweden and alikersantti in Finland; and below översergeant in Sweden and ylikersantti in Finland.
In many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit.
Conscription in Finland is part of a general compulsion for national military service for all adult males defined in the section 127 of the Constitution of Finland.
Ylikersantti is a Finnish military rank above kersantti and below vääpeli. The rank was introduced in the Swedish Armed Forces in 2019. It is above sergeant and below fanjunkare. Both sergeant and översergeant are OR6.
The Estonian Military Academy is an institution of applied higher education for national defence in Tartu, Estonia.
Vääpeli is a Finnish and former Swedish non-commissioned officer military rank above ylikersantti and below ylivääpeli. The rank is derived from the German rank Feldwebel and was used as a rank in the Landsknecht for the one who was responsible for aligning troops during battle.
Maanpuolustusopisto was the military junior college of the Finnish Defence Forces, located in Lappeenranta. The school had a separate program for training officers "vocationally" such that they would graduate as Second Lieutenants (vänrikki), without going to the national military academy, Cadet School. The school was decommissioned in 2001 and repurposed as the Army Academy to provide training for the Finnish National Defence University.
The following article lists the historical military ranks used by personnel of the Swedish Armed Forces.
The military ranks of the German Empire were the ranks used by the military of the German Empire. It inherited the various traditions and military ranks of its constituent states.
