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Special Operations Forces

Special Operations Forces are specially created, trained and equipped formations, military units and subdivisions of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, designed to solve special tasks in the interests of achieving political, military, economic and psychological goals.

Based on the analysis of trends in the development of the armed forces of foreign states, the experience of military conflicts of the last decade and the exercises conducted in our country, it was determined that the special operations forces of the Armed Forces are designed to perform various tasks by special methods and methods, in order to prevent the escalation or termination of the armed conflict in relation to Of the Republic of Belarus on the part of any aggressor, and are one of the main elements of strategic deterrence.

The main tasks of the command of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces:

• organization and implementation of continuous control of special operations forces;
• maintaining the combat effectiveness and combat readiness of special operations forces at a level that ensures the fulfillment of tasks as intended;
• development of the theory of military art, development of new forms and methods of using special operations forces for the purpose of armed defense of the state;
• planning the use of special operations forces;
• organization of ideological work in the interests of ensuring the readiness of special operations forces to perform assigned tasks in any conditions of the situation;
• organization of protection of state secrets in special operations forces.

The formations and military units of special operations forces are in constant readiness for timely use both in peacetime and in wartime. They can perform tasks independently or in cooperation with formations and military units of the Armed Forces, internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the internal affairs bodies, the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus, newly formed operational detachments of the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

To date, the special operations forces of the Armed Forces include:

• 38th Brest Separate Guards Airborne Assault Vienna Red Banner Brigade (stationed in Brest);
• 103rd Vitebsk Separate Guards Airborne Assault of the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Order of Kutuzov II degree, the brigade named after the 60th anniversary of the USSR (the location of the city of Vitebsk);
• Military unit 89417.

A command of special operations forces has been created to direct the special operations forces in the structure of the Armed Forces. The command is the organ of military command of the Armed Forces and is intended to control subordinate formations and military units, to guide their combat and mobilization training; planning the activities of special operations forces of the Armed Forces, organizing their construction and development, as well as resolving other issues within the competence of the command.

At the turn of the 80-90s of the twentieth century, the most combat-ready part of the Armed Forces of the USSR was the formations and formations of the airborne troops. They were a highly mobile arm of the Ground Forces and were intended to perform missions behind enemy lines. According to the Combat Regulations, the formations of the airborne troops were to solve a wide range of tasks both in the interests of ground groupings in close cooperation with them, and independently;

The political changes that took place in the world at the end of the twentieth century, and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, led to the creation of a number of independent states, including the Republic of Belarus. On its territory were located the 103rd Airborne Division, the 38th Airborne Assault Brigade and the 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade, which became part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. The military and political leadership of the country was faced with the difficult problem of preserving these formations and rethinking the tasks that it is advisable for them to perform. This was dictated by the proclamation by the Republic of Belarus of the Military Doctrine, which is purely defensive in nature. The reform of the country's Armed Forces that followed did not bypass the airborne formations. As a result, they were reorganized into separate mobile brigades, and on their basis mobile forces were created. According to the governing documents of that period, the mobile forces were a branch of the Ground Forces, designed to cover the strategic deployment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, disrupt enemy special operations and perform other suddenly arising tasks;

The process of comprehending the role of the newly created formations in the system of the Armed Forces has passed a difficult path. Initially, in the mid-90s of the twentieth century, these units were planned to be used similarly to combined arms. During the exercises of those years, the formations of mobile forces were most often used to conduct defensive and offensive operations, to cover certain areas. Their main trump cards - swiftness, onslaught, high maneuverability, combat readiness and combat effectiveness - remained unclaimed. However, after carrying out a number of studies, the main tasks of the mobile forces were identified both in peacetime and in wartime;

The result of painstaking work was the further reform of mobile connections and their management system. The first step on this path was the reorganization of the command of mobile forces and formations, direct subordination of mobile brigades to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the creation of a special operations department in the operational management. In early 2004, in connection with a further increase in the role of special operations forces in modern wars, a special operations department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was created, and fundamental changes were made to the organizational and staff structure of mobile formations and units. On August 1, 2007, on the basis of the control, the command of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces was created;

At present, the military leadership of the state has developed a harmonious system of views on the conduct of special actions and the use of special operations forces of the Armed Forces of the state. Theoretical and practical developments in this area of ??military art continue and will develop further.