Fänrik and vänrikki, both from the GermanFähnrich, are a Swedish and Finnish commissioned officer rank. A typical assignment for a professional Fänrik is as junior instructor of recruits.
Finland
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.
Conscript officer
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. 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, although there have been extraordinarily promotions to everstiluutnantti. The Navy equivalent rank is aliluutnantti. 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.
Professional officer
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 had vänrikki as the rank given to new graduates. These officers were known as opistoupseeri, and could be promoted up to yliluutnantti, senior lieutenant,, and later, to kapteeni. The opisto level ceased to exist in Finland 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.
Extraordinary
, the deadliest sniper in history, was extraordinarily promoted to vänrikki, from alikersantti, personally by Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim.
The name of the rank means company color bearer (Ensign. The color was usually maintained by a non-commissioned officer, the Förare or Colour Sergeant, and handed over to the Fänrik just before a battle. His role was to align the company and the flag was an important tool in achieving that. This duty was highly prestigious, and as such, could not be trusted to other than an officer, but required no particular officer training. The Fänrik together with the Förare were responsible for the medical care within the company. The term Fänika was used as a battalion sized military unit during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
1835-1937
The corresponding rank in the cavalry was Kornett. In 1835 both Fänrik and Kornett were replaced with the rank Underlöjtnant, but in 1914 the rank was reintroduced for newly promoted officers who only held a temporary commission for the first two years of service. Fänrik had, however, the same rank as Underlöjtnant. By 1926 Fänrik became junior to Underlöjtnant. In 1937 the rank Underlöjtnant was abolished.
Reform 1972
Holders of the rank of Fänrik were given the rank Löjtnant in the Regimental Officers Corps. Holders of the following ranks were given the rank Fänrik, in the separate Company Officers Corps:
Fanjunkare
Sergeant
Reform 1983
The meaning of the term officer broadened to include all professional and reserve military personnel. Fänrik was subsequently set to be the lowest rank for professional and reserve military personnel. To be employed as an officer in the Armed Forces, the candidate was required to complete two years of Officers College.
Reform 2009
The objective of the reform was to produce officers who are specialized at commanding troops at platoon, company and higher level as well as providing officers of academic status.
