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| Main Directorate of the Ground Forces | |
|---|---|
| Name | Main Directorate of the Ground Forces |
| Native name | Главное управление Сухопутных войск |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Jurisdiction | Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Moscow |
| Chief | Chief of the Main Directorate |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Defence |
Main Directorate of the Ground Forces is the central administrative and staff body responsible for planning, training, equipping, and managing the ground formations of a national defense establishment. It interfaces with the Ministry of Defence, integrates doctrine from the General Staff, coordinates with branch directorates such as the Logistics Directorate and Armored Directorate, and oversees interaction with field armies, corps, and brigades. The directorate has played roles in conflicts ranging from the Soviet–Afghan War to the Russo-Ukrainian War and has been subject to reforms associated with leaders like Sergei Shoigu and doctrines influenced by studies of the Gerasimov Doctrine.
The directorate traces antecedents to Imperial Russian and Red Army staff institutions that emerged during the World War I and Russian Civil War. During the Great Patriotic War the organization evolved amid mobilization policies and the demands of operations such as the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, coordinating formations like the 1st Guards Tank Army and the 16th Guards Rifle Division. Cold War expansion tied it to strategic planning alongside the Soviet Armed Forces and the Warsaw Pact, influencing force structure during crises like the Prague Spring and the Soviet–Afghan War. Post-Soviet transitions after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union involved reorganization alongside the Russian Ground Forces and adaptations following conflicts such as the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War.
The directorate is organized into departments and directorates reflecting functions found in the General Staff: operations, training, personnel, mobilization, logistics, intelligence liaison, and procurement coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It maintains staffs connected to theater commands and field formations such as combined-arms armies, motor rifle divisions, airborne formations like the VDV, and armored formations exemplified by the T-72 and T-90 units. Liaison exists with the Strategic Rocket Forces for joint planning, the Navy for coastal defense, and regional military districts including the Western Military District and Southern Military District.
Core responsibilities include force generation, doctrine development, operational planning, tactical training standards, readiness assessments, and mobilization planning tied to legislation such as military service statutes enacted by the State Duma. The directorate issues directives on combined-arms tactics studied alongside cases like the Battle of Grozny (1994–1995) and Battle of Aleppo analyses, coordinates procurement priorities with defense firms such as Uralvagonzavod and Kalashnikov Concern, and supervises exercises including Zapad and Vostok series alongside allied participants like Belarus and observers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Leadership has included chiefs with backgrounds in operational command and General Staff service linked to figures from the Soviet military academy system and institutions like the Frunze Military Academy and General Staff Academy. Chiefs coordinate with ministers such as Anatoly Serdyukov and Sergei Shoigu, and report to the Chief of the General Staff and state leadership including the President of Russia. Senior staff often rotate from commands including the Northern Fleet, Central Military District, and multinational deployments in theaters like Syria.
The directorate oversees allocation of materiel including main battle tanks (T-72, T-80, T-90), infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2, BMP-3), armored personnel carriers (BTR-80, BTR-82A), self-propelled artillery (2S19 Msta', 2S3 Akatsiya), multiple rocket launchers (BM-21 Grad, BM-30 Smerch), air defense systems (S-300, Tor missile system), and engineering assets. It interfaces with procurement programs for platforms such as the Armata family and modernization projects for small arms like the AK-74M and communications suites from firms like Rostec. Logistics chains use rail networks including the Trans-Siberian Railway and airlift assets such as the Ilyushin Il-76 for strategic mobility.
The directorate has planned and overseen deployments in conventional campaigns, counterinsurgency operations, peacekeeping missions, and expeditionary interventions. Historical operations include force direction during the Soviet–Afghan War, counterinsurgency in the Chechen Wars, expeditionary logistics in Syria, and large-scale combined-arms operations evident in Russo-Ukrainian War engagements. It coordinates joint exercises like CSTO drills, multinational maneuvers with China under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and rapid reaction deployments from brigade groups to theater armies.
Reform initiatives have addressed professionalization, transition from division-centric to brigade-centric structures in the 2008–2015 period after lessons from the Russo-Georgian War, investment in network-centric capabilities linked to the Gerasimov Doctrine discussion, and modernization programs emphasizing the Armata platform, digital command systems, and enhanced logistics modeled after NATO interoperability practices observed in Exercise Trident Juncture. Reforms also engage with defense industry consolidation involving Rostec and modernization of training at institutions such as the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School and the Kuznetsov Naval Academy.