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

Yliluutnantti (Swedish: premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above luutnantti (Swedish: löjtnant) and below kapteeni (Swedish: kapten). It is used in the Finnish Defence Forces (army, navy and air force) and the Finnish Border Guard.

The prescribed duty is a company second in command/executive officer. Officers who have graduated as Bachelors of Military Science from the National Defence College with the rank of luutnantti usually re-enter the college after four years' tour of duty[fi]. After a study of two additional years, they are promoted yliluutnantti and return to more challenging duties. Yliluutnantti is also the highest rank available to those educated in the now-decommissioned school Maanpuolustusopisto (comparable to a military junior college).

History and related ranks

The Army of the Finnish Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire had a rank of alikapteeni, similar in use as Prussian and Russian Stabskapitän. The rank of yliluutnantti came to Finland from Germany with Finnish Jäger troops in 1918, but Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim considered it too German and encouraged holders of the rank to use more the general rank of lieutenant instead. In some regiments officers with rank of yliluutnantti were considered to have been promoted to captain, and the rank fell in disuse until 1952 when it was taken into regular use, and ever since it has been in use in all three branches; air force, navy and the army.

Prior to the Second World War, graduates of the Defence College served with the rank of luutnantti. The rank of yliluutnantti was established in 1952, when it was felt that cadets graduating from the Defence College would be denied promotion avenues due to the large number of field-promoted company-grade officers in active service. As most of such officers held the rank of vänrikki or luutnantti, and were unlikely to advance to field grade (due to their background as NCOs and lack of academic studies), the rank of yliluutnantti circumvented the seniority issue. Due to this revision, reservists who held the wartime rank of luutnantti did not receive a promotion to captain, as would have been expected, but rather to yliluutnantti; promotions were not grandfathered.

Germany, Austria & Switzerland

Main article: Oberleutnant

Within German language countries (Austria, Germany and Switzerland), the rank of Oberleutnant (transl. senior lieutenant) is used.

Russia

Army, navy and air force insignia (Russian Federation)

Senior lieutenant (Russian: старший лейтенант, romanized: starshy leytenant) is used in the army, air force or navy of Russia and the former USSR.

Russian Empire and Soviet Union

In the Russian Empire senior lieutenant first appeared in the Table of Ranks (1909–1911) exclusively as naval rank IX class, and from 1912 as VIII class. Corresponding ranks were captain in the infantry, rotmister (derived from the German Rittmeister) in the cavalry, and yesaul in the Cossacks corps. In the civil administration it was almost equivalent to the "council assessor" (Russian коллежский асессор; kollezhsky assessor).

As result of the October Revolution this rank was abolished along with all other Russian ranks and rank insignia. It was reintroduced to the armed forces of the Soviet Union by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars in 1935.^[1] A senior lieutenant was junior to a captain or captain-lieutenant and senior to a lieutenant.

Russian Federation

The Russian Federation inherited the rank structure of the armed forces of the Soviet Union.

If military personnel serve in a guards formation, or on a guards warship, the word "guards" is placed before the rank (e.g. "guards senior lieutenant"). For civilian or military personnel with a specific level of expertise or knowledge in the medical or judicial professions, the words "medical" or "legal" are placed before the rank (e.g. "legal senior lieutenant"). The word "retired" is added after the rank for retired officers. Police, internal troops and tax office personnel have their branch added after the rank (e.g. "senior lieutenant of police")

Senior lieutenant's insignia

• 
  ավագ լեյտենանտ
  Avag leytenant
  (Armenian Ground Forces)^[2]
• 
  Baş leytenant
  (Azerbaijani Land Forces)^[3]
• 
  Старшы лейтэнант
  Staršy liejtenant
  (Belarusian Ground Forces)^[4]
• 
  Старши лейтенант
  Starshi leytenant
  (Bulgarian Land Forces)^[5]
• 
  Natporučnik
  (Croatian Army)^[6]
• 
  Nadporučík
  (Czech Land Forces)^[7]
• 
  Yliluutnantti
  Premiärlöjtnant
  (Finnish Army)^[8]
• 
  უფროსი ლეიტენანტი
  Uprosi leit’enant’i
  (Georgian Land Forces)^[9]
• 
  Főhadnagy
  (Hungarian Ground Forces)^[10]
• 
  Аға лейтенант
  Ağa leytenant
  (Kazakh Ground Forces)^[11]
• 
  Улук лейтенант
  Uluk leytenant
  (Kyrgyz Army)^[12]
• 
  Virsleitnants
  (Latvian Land Forces)^[13]
• 
  Vyresnysis leitenantas
  (Lithuanian Land Forces)^[14]
• 
  Ахлах дэслэгч
  Akhlakh deslegch
  (Mongolian Ground Force)^[15]
• 
  Старший лейтена́нт
  Stárshiy leytenánt
  (Russian Ground Forces)^[16]
• 
  Nadporučík
  (Slovak Ground Forces)^[17]
• 
  Nadporočnik
  (Slovenian Ground Force)^[18]
• 
  Лейтенанти калон
  Lejtenanti kalon
  (Tajik National Army)^[19]
• 
  Uly leýtenant
  (Turkmen Ground Forces)^[20]
• 
  Старший лейтенант
  Starshyy leytenant
  (Ukrainian Ground Forces)^[21]
• 
  Katta leytenant
  (Uzbek Ground Forces)^[22]

References

1. Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
2. "ԶԻՆՎՈՐԱԿԱՆ ԾԱՌԱՅՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԵՎ ԶԻՆԾԱՌԱՅՈՂԻ ԿԱՐԳԱՎԻՃԱԿԻ ՄԱՍԻՆ". arlis.am (in Armenian). Legal information system of Armenia. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
3. "Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələri hərbi qulluqçularının hərbi geyim forması və fərqləndirmə nişanları haqqında Əsasnamə" (PDF). mod.gov.az (in Azerbaijani). Ministry of Defense. 25 June 2001. pp. 64–70. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
4. "Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 21.07.2009 N 388 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия по воинским званиям и внесении дополнений в Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 9 июня 2006 г. N 383"". pravo.levonevsky.org/ (in Russian). Government of Belarus. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
5. "ЗАКОН ЗА ОТБРАНАТА И ВЪОРЪЖЕНИТЕ СИЛИ НА РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРИЯ". lex.bg (in Bulgarian). Глава седма. ВОЕННА СЛУЖБА. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
6. "Oznake činova". osrh.hr (in Croatian). Republic of Croatia Armed Forces. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
7. "Ranks". army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
8. "Sotilasarvot Puolustusvoimissa". puolustusvoimat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Defence Forces. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
9. "სამხედრო წოდებები და ინსიგნიები" [Military Ranks and Insignia]. mod.gov.ge (in Georgian). Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
10. Andrea, Kánya (6 May 2009). "A gallér és az ötágú csillag". honvedelem.hu (in Hungarian). Hungarian Defence Forces. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
11. "Қазақстан Республикасының Қарулы Күштері, басқа да әскерлері мен әскери құралымдары әскери қызметшілерінің әскери киім нысаны және айырым белгілері туралы". adilet.zan.kz (in Kazakh). Ministry of Justice (Kazakhstan). 25 August 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
12. "Кыргыз Республикасынын жарандарынын жалпыга бирдей аскердик милдети жөнүндө, аскердик жана альтернативдик кызматтар жөнүндө". cbd.minjust.gov.kg/ (in Kyrgyz). Ministry of Justice (Kyrgyzstan). 9 February 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
13. "Pakāpju iedalījums". mil.lv/lv (in Latvian). Latvian National Armed Forces. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
14. "Karių laipsnių ženklai". kariuomene.kam.lt (in Lithuanian). Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania). Retrieved 26 May 2021.
15. Chief of General Staff (25 November 2019). "Order of the Chief of the General Staff: Number A / 595". gsmaf.gov.mn (in Mongolian). pp. 20–26. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
16. "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия"". rg.ru (in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
17. "Označenie vojenských hodností príslušníkov Ozbrojených síl Slovenskej republiky od 1.1.2016" [Designation of military ranks of members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic from 1.1.2016]. vhu.sk (in Slovak). Military History Institute. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
18. "Čini in razredi". slovenskavojska.si (in Slovenian). Slovenian Armed Forces. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
19. "ҚОНУНИ ҶУМҲУРИИ ТОҶИКИСТОН ДАР БОРАИ ЎҲДАДОРИИ УМУМИИ ҲАРБӢ ВА ХИЗМАТИ ҲАРБӢ". majmilli.tj (in Tajik). The National Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
20. "TÜRKMENISTANYŇ KANUNY Harby borçlulyk we harby gulluk hakynda (Türkmenistanyň Mejlisiniň Maglumatlary 2010 ý., № 3, 58-nji madda) (Türkmenistanyň 01.10.2011 ý. № 234-IV Kanuny esasynda girizilen üýtgetmeler we goşmaçalar bilen)" [LAW OF TURKMENISTAN On military service and military service (Information of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, 2010, No. 3, Article 58) (as amended by the Law of Turkmenistan of October 1, 2011 No. 234-IV)] (PDF). milligosun.gov.tm (in Turkmen). Ministry of Defense (Turkmenistan). pp. 28–29. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
21. "НАКАЗ 20.11.2017 № 606". zakon.rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
22. "O'zbekiston Respublikasi fuqarolarining harbiy xizmatni o'tash tartibi to'g'risida". lex.uz (in Uzbek). Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2021.