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Belarusian Ground Forces

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Belarusian Ground Forces
Сухапутныя войскі Рэспублікі Беларусь
Сухопутные войска Республики Беларусь
Shoulder Patch of the Belarusian Ground Forces
Founded20 March 1992
CountryBelarus
BranchArmed Forces of Belarus
TypeGround Force
Size18,000 (2024)
Part ofDefence Ministry of Belarus
HeadquartersMinsk
Nickname(s)Belarusian Land Forces
Belarusian Army
ColorsRed
AnniversariesFebruary 23
Commanders
Commander-in-chiefAlexander Lukashenko
Insignia
Flag
A map showing the main military units of the Belarusian Ground Forces

The Belarusian Ground Forces is a service branch of the Armed Forces of Belarus.

History

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The ground forces were founded on March 20, 1992, on the same day the Defence Ministry of Belarus was established. By 1994, the ground forces had over 50,000 troops, most being former soldiers of the Soviet Army's Belorussian Military District. The army equipment which was used at the time included 79 T-54s, 639 T-55s, 291 T-62s, 299 T-64s, 8 T-80s, and 1,800 T-72s.[1][2]

In December 2001, the Ground Forces underwent a major reorganization which produced two operational-territorial commands which are similar to Russia's military districts. The two commands that were formed from this reorganization were the Western Operational Command at Grodno, and the North Western Operational Command, at Barysaw.[1][2] At around the same time, the headquarters of the Ground Forces was established on the basis of the former 5th Guards Tank Army.[3][4] The ground forces headquarters was abolished during reorganization in 2011 and replaced by combat training and territorial defense directorates. The change further confirmed the Belarusian Ground Forces integration into the Russian military command structure as Belarus thus does not independently plan or conduct large-scale exercises and operates under Russian command during joint exercises. As of mid-2021 the units of the operational commanders were manned at half strength, making them unready for rapid response combat operations.[5]

Structure

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Headquarters (Minsk)

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Specialized forces

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The specialized forces are designed to support the combat activities of the Ground Forces and solve their inherent tasks. They include formations and military units of intelligence, communications, engineering, radiation, chemical and biological defense, electronic warfare, navigation and topographic.[6]

  • Electronic Warfare Troops
  • Signal Troops
  • Engineer Troops
  • NBC Protection Troops
  • Topographic Navigation Service

Signals Troops

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The Signal Troops are separate special forces that act as the communications system between troops in the Armed Forces and territorial troops. It is grounded in communications and command and control equipment, radio intelligence and special radio equipment communication. The official holiday of the Signal Troops is 20 October, which was the day in 1919 when the Department of Communications of the Red Army was formed. Over the course of post-war years, with the transition of the troops to a peaceful situation, the communications troops of the Belarusian Military District, and later the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, took measures to restore and develop the stationary communications system, deploy communication systems of garrisons and military camps, and conditions.[7] In 2019, the Ministry of Communications and Informatization commemorated its centennial with a holiday stamp.[8]

NBC Protection Troops

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The Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops (Russian: Войска радиационной, химической и биологической защиты; Войска РХБ защиты)) are the forces designed to endure their combat tasks in conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination, For about ten years, as part of a limited contingent of Soviet Army, chemical troops fought in Afghanistan, where such chemical support tasks as the use of flamethrowing incendiary agents and aerosols were effective in combating rebels. Many representatives of the chemical troops participating in the war were awarded military orders and medals.[9]

In the course of eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, given the training and technical equipment of the chemical forces, they were assigned some of the most difficult work. The Department of Chemical Forces was created on 1 June 1992 on the basis of the disbanded Directorate of the Belarusian Military District and was included in the General Staff of the Armed Forces. On 21 December 2001, in connection with the creation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, the department of chemical forces of the Main Headquarters of the Armed Forces was reorganized and included in it as a department of the Republican Chemical Chemistry for Protection and Ecology of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.[9]

Commanders of the Ground Forces

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  • Major General Alexander Nikitin (-17 April 2012)[10]

Equipment

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Справки по отдельным бригадам Вооруженных Сил Республики Беларусь". www.soldat.ru.
  2. ^ a b Pike, John. "Ground Forces - Belarus". www.globalsecurity.org.
  3. ^ 'Commander outlines reform of Belarusian Ground Forces,' Zvyazda, Minsk, in Belarusian, 2 October 2002, p.2, via Lexis-Nexis.
  4. ^ Юбилей прославленного объединения [The Anniversary of the Famous Association]. www.mil.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  5. ^ Muzyka, Konrad (August 2021). "The Belarusian Armed Forces: Structures, Capabilities, and Defence Relations with Russia" (PDF). International Centre for Defence and Security: 17–18. ISSN 2228-2076. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "Специальные войска — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь". Archived from the original on 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  7. ^ "Belarus - Signal Corps". www.globalsecurity.org.
  8. ^ "Белпочта".
  9. ^ a b "Управление радиационной, химической, биологической защиты и экологии Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь". Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  10. ^ "Major General Alexander Nikitin relieved of his post | The Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus". president.gov.by. Retrieved 2021-04-02.