Finnish military ranks form a system that incorporates features from Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, it 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-languages communications in Finland, e.g. in Swedish-speaking units of Finnish Defence Force. The system of ranks in the Swedish Armed Forces is slightly different. The Swedish Armed Forces, or Försvarsmakten, is a Government agency responsible for the peacetime operation of the armed forces of Sweden. ...

Table of ranks

The ranks currently used by the Finnish Defence Forces are:

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... An air force is a military organization that primarily operates in air-based war. ... The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ...

Exceptions

General officers

The ranks of Field Marshal (sotamarsalkka) and Marshal of Finland (Suomen marsalkka) were bestowed on Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim in 1933 and 1942, respectively. These are officially not military ranks but honorific titles, but were used like military ranks senior to the rank of General. The rank of General may, as a sign of special recognition, include a service branch: those historically used were General of Infantry (jalkaväenkenraali), General of Cavalry (ratsuväenkenraali) and General of Artillery (tykistökenraali). These additions do not affect seniority. (There are no living general officers with such recognition.) C.G.E. Mannerheim wearing the rank insignia of sotamarsalkka, Finnish field marshal. ... The famous Mannerheims equestrian statue by the Mannerheim road in downtown Helsinki, the capital of Finland Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (June 4, 1867 – January 28, 1951) was Finlands reputed Commander-in-Chief and later President of Finland (1944–1946). ... This article is about the Finnish statesman and Commander-in-Chief. ...

Military civil servants and specialist officers

Personnel serving in technical duties belonging to the officers without officer training hold the position of military civil servant (sotilasvirkamies). Their rank is comparable to either 1st Lieutenant, Lieutenant and Chief Warrant officer, depending on the level of the civilian education required to serve in this position. The lowest class is reserved for non-salaried military civil servants. Usually the military civil servants are an exception as their positions are likely to be filled by special officers, who have received officer training and hold commissions in addition to civilian academic education.

Reservists may be promoted up to the rank of Major both in special and normal officer ranks, if they show extraordinary commitment to national defence. In rare cases, reservists have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Chaplains serve in the ranks of Chaplain (sotilaspastori), Senior Chaplain (kenttärovasti, literally, Field Dean), and Chaplain General (kenttäpiispa, literally, Field Bishop), corresponding to the ranks of Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major General, respectively. In addition, they have a personal rank into which they revert at the end of their clerical service in the Finnish Defence Force. Conscript chaplains and deacons serve in their personal rank.

Officer training

Conscripts who have passed a reserve officer course, serve as Officer Cadets (Upseerikokelas) and are considered NCOs. At the end of their service period, they are promoted 2nd Lieutenants. Cadets (Kadetti) are career military, attending their professional officer education in the National Defence College. Cadets attending the fourth year in National Defence College are senior to Lieutenants. Other Cadets are senior to 2nd Lieutenants. In addition, the cadets may hold a cadet NCO rank which pertains to the seniority inside the Cadet Corps but does not affect their ranks in relation to other military personnel.

NCO ranks

The NCO ranks in the Finnish Defence Force are filled by conscripts, career NCOs and contractual military personnel. The basic NCO rank is Enlistee (sotilasammattihenkilö), which is a rank and file position. Its relation to other rank and file ranks is unspecified. Career NCOs usually serve in the ranks of Chief Warrant Officer,, ylivääpeli (Senior Warrant Officer), Warrant Officer, Staff Seargeant and Seargeant, the rank of Enlistee being reserved for career NCOs without conscript NCO training. The contractual military personnel (sopimussotilaat) serve in their reserve ranks. After discharge from the military, both enlistees and contractual military personnel revert to their reserve ranks. The conscripts may hold the NCO ranks of Officer Cadet, Seargeant, Officer Student, or Corporal. Reserve personnel may hold any NCO rank. As both conscript and career NCOs may serve in the rank of Seargeant, career Seargeants use a small sword insignia in conjuntion of the chevrons to distinguish them from conscripts.

Privates

Sotamies is the generic rank for Private, however the word sotamies is no longer used in any service branch. The rank is always given the name specific to the service branch:

• Jaeger (jääkäri) in infantry
• Signalist (viestimies) in signals corps
• Armourman (panssarimies) or Armour Jaeger (panssarijääkäri) in armoured troops
• Driver (autosotamies) in transport corps
• Gunner (tykkimies) in anti-aircraft corps, field artillery and coastal units of the Navy
• NBC private (suojelumies) in NBC defence units
• Engineer (pioneeri) in engineers
• Frontier Jaeger (rajajääkäri) in the Border Guard (Conscript rank, enlisted Border Guard personnel are NCOs in ranks of nuorempi rajavartija, vanhempi rajavartija and ylirajavartija.)
• Airman (lentosotamies) in the Air Force
• Seaman (matruusi) in the Navy
• Coastal Jaeger (rannikkojääkäri) in certain units of Uusimaa Brigade (Uudenmaan prikaati)
• Dragoon (rakuuna) in the Dragoon troop of Army Warfare School (Rakuunaeskadroona/Maasotakoulu)
• Cavalryman (ratsumies) in the Häme Regiment (Hämeen rykmentti)
• Guard Jaeger (kaartinjääkäri) in Guard Jaeger Regiment (Kaartin jääkärirykmentti)
• Paratroop jaeger (laskuvarjojääkäri) in Utti Jaeger Regiment (Utin jääkärirykmentti)

NCO students hold either the permanent rank of Private or Lance Corporal and rank accordingly. The rank of alokas is used to denote privates in basic training. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Military communications, or Signals, is a field of military activities, tactics and equipment dealing with communications. ... NBC is an initialism used to indicate nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. ... The Border Guard (Finnish: Rajavartiolaitos, Swedish: Gränsbevakningsväsendet) of Finland is the Finnish security authority responsible for the border security. ...

See also

• Finnish Army Insignia of Rank
• Finnish Navy Insignia of Rank
• Finnish Special Ranks' insignia
• Yleinen Palvelusohjesääntö (in Finnish)