The 1st Guards Tank Army can be traced back to WW2 where it was formed twice throughout the war as the 1st Tank Army. The Army was reformed in November 2014 to act as the main Russian ground forces manoeuvre and reserve operational formation of the Western Military District. It is considered to be amongst the elite of the Russian Ground Forces. It is comprised of the 2nd Motorized Division and the 4th Tank Division which are considered to be elite divisions consisting of elite regiments. They are garrisoned closest to Moscow and are considered highly prestigious postings. The regiments and units within the divisions are given the most up-to-date state of the art software and tech and are known as the 'household' divisions of the Russian Army.

The 1st Guards Tank Army is composed of 500-600 tanks, 600-800 infantry fighting vehicles, 300-400 field artillery units and 35,000-50,000 soldiers.