North Western Operational Command

The North Western Operational Command is a command of the Belarus Ground Forces. It is headquartered at Borisov.

In April 1946, the 65th Army was reorganised as the 7th Mechanised Army. It was headquartered in Borisov since May 1948. In 1955 the 7th Tank Army had tanks IS-3, T-54, T-34, PT-76 and ACS ISU-122.

In 1957, the 7th Mechanized army was transformed into 7th Tank Army. The formation actively participated in well-known large-scale exercises and maneuvers such as "Dnepr", "Neman", "Dvina", Exercise Zapad-81 and "Fall 88". By a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on 15 January 1974, for good results in combat training, the 7th Tank Army was awarded the Order of the Red Flag.
 * The 10th Tank Division was reformed in the 34th Tank Division
 * 15th Guards Mechanized Division was reformed in the 47th Guards Tank Division
 * 27th Guards Mechanized Division - the 39th Guards Tank Division.

In 1960, the 47th Guards Tank Division was renamed the 45th Guards Tank Division.

In 1965, the 45th Guards Tank Division Rivne became a training tank formation of district subordination Belorussian Military District, and the 39th Guards Tank Division was reorganized into the 37th Guards Tank Rechitsa Division.

In the second half of 1960 - 1980, the basis of the 7th Tank Army were the 3rd Kotelnikovsky Guards, 34th Dnieper, 37th Guards Tank Division Rechitskaya. According to the directive of the USSR Ministry of Defense 25/01/89 3rd Guards Tank Division Kotelnikovsky disbands with effect from 1.6.89. Instead, in Zaslonova from the Southern Group of Forces (Hungary) came the 19th Guards Tank Division Nikolaevsk Budapest.

On 7 November 1990 Tank Army had 764 tanks T-62 and T-72, 208 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 212 guns, mortars and multiple rocket launchers.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus were created on the basis of the Belorussian Military District, including the 7th Tank Army. In 1993, the 7th Tank Army was renamed the 7th Army Corps, and in 1994 the 65th Army Corps. In December 2001, as a result of the reform of the Armed Forces of Belarus, the corps was transformed into the North-Western Operational Command (NWOC). Since then the troops and staff of the NWOC have participated in the exercises "Neman-2001", "Berezina-2002", "The Shield of the Fatherland - 2004", "The Shield of the Union - 2006", "West-2009" and others. A joint operational exercise of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, "Shield of the Union", was held in 2011. The exercise was held at the Ashuluk range in Astrakhan Oblast in the Russian Federation.

Units

 * 120th Guards Mechanised Brigade 'Рогачевская' (339-я гвардейская отдельная механизированная группа в составе танкового и мотострелкового батальонов, 334-й и 355-й танковые батальоны, 356-й мотострелковый баталь­он, 310-я группа артиллерии, 149-й отдельный батальон связи, 126-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон, 82-й ремонтно-восстановительный батальон; Минск);


 * 231st Mixed Artillery Brigade (Боровка);


 * 427th Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment;


 * 502nd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment (Osipovichi).


 * 740th Minsk Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (с ЗРК «Оса»; Borisov);

•42nd Separate Signal (Radio) Battalion.

Части войск радиоэлектронной борьбы:


 * 244th центр радиоэлектронной разведки;

Corps of Engineers:


 * 7th Torun Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Red Star Engineering Regiment (Borisov);