Home > Finnish Defence Forces
| Finnish Defence Forces |
|---|
| Military manpower |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Availability | males age 15-49: 1,262,526 (2000 est.) |
| Fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,041,795 (2000 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males: 34,651 (2000 est.) |
| Military expenditures |
| Dollar figure | $1.8 billion (FY98) |
| Percent of GDP | 2% (FY98) |
The Finnish Defence Forces ( Finnish: Puolustusvoimat) consist of 34,700 people in uniform (27,300 army, 3,000 navy, and 4,400 air force). Finland's defence budget equals about 2% of the GDP. An universal male conscription is in place, under which all men above 18 years of age serve from 6 to 12 months, although service for Jehovah's Witnesses is not mandatory and inhabitants of Åland have a different system in place. Also a 13-month-long civilian service is possible. As of 1995, women were permitted to serve on a voluntary basis. The defence is based on a large trained reserve. Finland can mobilize 490,000 trained military personnel in a crisis situation.
The Finnish Defence Forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence, who is directly subordinate to the President of the Republic in matters related to the military command. At the moment (October 2004) Chief of Defence is Admiral Juhani Kaskeala .
Military doctrine: Self-defensive; independent defence of all of domestic territory; NATO Partnership for Peace affiliate; committed to pan-European (incl. Russia) treaty of trust-enhancing cooperation, such as providing access for international observers during major exercises.
1 Military branches
The Frontier Guard (Rajavartiolaitos) is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required by defence readiness.
2 Military Ranks
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim is the only person to have held the ranks of sotamarsalkka/fältmarskalk ( Field Marshal) and later Suomen Marsalkka/Marskalk av Finland ("Marshal of Finland").
| Army and Airforce Ranks |
|---|
| Finnish | Swedish | English | German
|
|---|
| Kenraali | General | General | General
|
| Kenraaliluutnantti | Generallöjtnant | Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. A Lieutenant General ranks immediately below a General and above a Major General. In the US Army, US Marine Corps and US Air Force a Lieutenant General is a three-star general. In the British A | Generalleutnant
|
| Kenraalimajuri | Generalmajor | Major GeneralMajor General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derieved from the older rank of "Sergeant Major General". A major general is a high-ranking officer subordinate to a full General. In the United States Army, Marine Corps and Air Force a Major | Generalmajor
|
| Prikaatikenraali | Brigadgeneral | Brigadier GeneralA Brigadier General or one-star general is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. The rank is equivalent to the US Navy rank Rear Admiral (lower half), for | Brigadegeneral
|
| Eversti | Överste | ColonelColonel ( Ger: Oberst is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. The word is pronounced similarly to "kernel". In the US military, a colonel in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps is equivalent to a c | Oberst
|
| Everstiluutnantti | Överstelöjtnant | Lieutenant Colonel | Oberstleutnant
|
| Majuri | Major | MajorFor non-military meanings, see major (disambiguation). In the US Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and the British Army, a major is a commissioned officer superior to a captain and inferior to a lieutenant colonel. The equivalent rank in the US Navy is Lieute | Major
|
| Kapteeni | Kapten | CaptainCaptain is both a nautical term and a military rank. The word came to English via French from the Latin capitaneus ("chief") which is itself derived from the Latin word for "head" caput . The term has different meanings both at sea and in the military. | Hauptmann
|
| Yliluutnantti | Premiärlöjtnant | Senior Lieutenant | Oberleutnant
|
| Luutnantti | Löjtnant | LieutenantA Lieutenant is a military or paramilitary officer. The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning "place" as in a position or territory; and tenant meaning "holding" as in "holding a position". The British monarch's representative in Ireland a | Leutnant
|
| Vänrikki | Fänrik | Second Lieutenant |
|
Old ranks that are not used anymore include: Ylivääpeli/Överfälväbel (a rank between Chief Warrant Officer and Warrant Officer), Kornetti (Second Lieutenant in the cavalry), Ratsumestari (a cavalry Captain), Prikaatinkenraali (old form for Prikaatikenraali) and Lentomestari.
