Vääpeli ( Fältväbel in Swedish) is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

and former

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

military rank above Ylikersantti (

Översergeant Ylikersantti ( in Swedish) is a Finnish military rank above () and below (). The rank was introduced in the Swedish Armed Forces in 2019. It is above and below . Both and are OR6. Finland Formerly the rank was mainly used by junior officer ...

) and below

Ylivääpeli Ylivääpeli ( Överfältväbel in Swedish) is a Finnish military rank above Vääpeli ( Fältväbel) and below Sotilasmestari ( Militärmästare). History and related ranks The rank was introduced to promote professional NCOs, graduated from M ...

( Överfältväbel). The rank is derived from the German rank

Feldwebel ''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) 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, occupi ...

and was used as a rank in the

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line wa ...

(15th and 16th century) for the one who was responsible for aligning troops during battle. ''Vääpeli''s were trained at the

Maanpuolustusopisto Maanpuolustusopisto (MpO, "National Defence Institute") 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 a ...

, a

military junior college A military junior college (MJC) is a military-style junior college in the United States and one of the three major categories of the Army ROTC schools that allows cadets to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Army reserve components in two y ...

, and were usually salaried staff NCOs, as opposed to conscripts or officers.

Yksikön vääpeli

Vääpeli may also refer to a position - rather than a rank - of ''yksikön vääpeli'' (''vääpeli of the unit''), commonly ''komppanian vääpeli'' or ''patterin vääpeli'' (''vääpeli of the company'', ''vääpeli of the battery''), which is a position similar to First Sergeant in the

US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

or company sergeant major of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Armed Forces with the exception that in the

Finnish Defence Force The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, 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 (which i ...

this position may be held by either a commissioned or a non-commissioned officer while in the US, UK and Commonwealth militaries the equivalent position is always held by an NCO. In the chain of command of a company (or an artillery battery) the ''yksikön vääpeli'' is second only to the

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by country, ...

and therefore may be in command of technically higher-ranking officers. Usually the position is held by a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

or an ''yliluutnantti'' (''

senior lieutenant Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...

''), but it is not unheard of for it to be held by a sergeant. The tern ''yksikköupseeri'' (''officer of the unit''), although officially discontinued since July 2009, may regardless unofficially be used of the position. In the artillery, the equivalent was ''patteriupseeri'' (''officer of the battery'') which continues to be unofficially used in a similar fashion.

History and related ranks

1600 - 1700 (Finland and Sweden)

The rank was established as the highest non-commissioned officers rank.

1833 (Sweden)

Holders of the rank Fältväbel were promoted to

Fanjunkare Fanjunkare (OR-7) is a Swedish military rank above Översergeant and below Förvaltare. The word 'Fanjunkare' is derived from German 'Fahnenjunker', and denotes a standard-bearer, hence 'Colour Sergeant'. Promotion For promotion to ''Fanjunkare ...

and the rank was removed.

Finland

''Vääpeli''s were traditionally responsible for much of the practical tasks in training conscripts and keeping them in line (often literally), in a manner similar to

drill sergeant A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Austr ...

. They were the lowest rank of permanent salaried NCO and thus to a conscript, they were the first and most often encountered of career personnel. (In regular units, lower ranks were either conscripts or temporarily employed.) Obtaining the rank of ''vääpeli'' required completion of a degree from ''Päällystöopisto'', a

. ''Vääpeli''s were career NCOs and could be promoted to ''ylivääpeli'' and ''sotilasmestari'', but not to commissioned officers; this would require attending the

Finnish National Defence University The Finnish National Defence University ( fi, Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu, MPKK, sv, Försvarshögskolan) is a military university located in Helsinki. The university trains officers for the Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Border Guard. The m ...

References

Military ranks of Finland Military insignia Military ranks of Sweden {{mil-rank-stub