RismadarVoice Reporters
September 4, 2026
Pakistan has enacted sweeping changes to its military command structure, giving the country’s top military officer broad operational powers and raising fresh questions about civilian oversight and the balance among the army, navy and air force.
The National Assembly on August 20 passed the Defence Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, alongside an amendment to the National Command Authority Act, 2010.
The legislation formally establishes the powers of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a position created through Pakistan’s 27th constitutional amendment passed in November 2025.
The changes represent the most significant restructuring of Pakistan’s senior military command since 1976, when the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) was created to coordinate the army, navy and air force.
That position has now been abolished and replaced with a Defence Forces Headquarters headed by the CDF.
Pakistan’s current CDF is Field Marshal Asim Munir, who also serves as Chief of Army Staff.
The reforms come more than a year after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May 2025 and have further strengthened the formal authority of the military’s top command.
Unlike the former CJCSC, whose role was largely limited to coordination, the CDF has been granted statutory “operational command and control of the Armed Forces.”
This means the CDF will be responsible to the federal government for military operations involving the army, navy and air force.
A retired three-star general described the arrangement as the first clearly codified chain of command of its kind, running from the prime minister to the CDF and Defence Forces Headquarters, followed by the individual service chiefs and military formations.
The former CJCSC did not possess similar statutory operational authority over the navy and air force.
Retired three-star general and former defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi said the new legislation has transformed the position into a genuine command office.
He argued that the previous arrangement did not provide the CJCSC with authority to take action within the navy or air force, whereas the CDF’s powers now extend across all three services.
However, lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii said the CJCSC had become largely ceremonial in practice because of the army’s dominant position within Pakistan’s military hierarchy.
The restructuring has triggered debate over whether the new system will further strengthen the army at the expense of the navy and air force.
Under the new law, the Commander of the National Strategic Command, which oversees Pakistan’s nuclear-capable forces, must be an army officer. The officer is appointed on the recommendation of the CDF.
General Syed Aamer Raza became the first holder of the position in July 2026 after being promoted from lieutenant general.
Analyst Majid Nizami said the change effectively closes the door to navy or air force officers occupying the four-star strategic command position.
He noted that although the former CJCSC could theoretically be occupied by an officer from any of the three services, the last non-army officer to hold the post was Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan, who left office in 1997.
A retired three-star general described the new command arrangement as “unmistakably armySome concerns, given that the CDF has authority over senior appointments and promotions, could gradually weaken the institutional independence of the navy and air force.
A former senior military official involved in strategic planning said promotions and other senior appointments across the three services being approved by an army officer could create resentment within the other branches.
Retired Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed particularly warned about the implications for the navy, arguing that maritime security and sea-based deterrence require specialised expertise that is different from the army’s land-focused operational perspective.
He said the key issue would be how effectively the navy and air force are represented in decision-making at the new Defence Forces Headquarters and how much authority the individual service chiefs retain.
Lodhi acknowledged the concerns but said safeguards could still emerge through rules of business governing the new structure.
The reforms also affect the broader structure surrounding Pakistan’s nuclear command.
The CDF is expected to serve as deputy chairman of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal and chaired by the prime minister.
Pakistan has also established the Army Rocket Force Command to oversee conventional missile operations outside the nuclear chain of command.
A defence analyst said the arrangement could create a clearer distinction between conventional missile operations and strategic nuclear deterrence.
The Strategic Plans Division, which has overseen Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes for more than two decades, is expected to continue its role under the new strategic command structure.
Although formal authority over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons remains with the prime minister, the changes could give the CDF greater influence over nuclear decision-making in practice.
The most contentious issue surrounding the reforms is their potential impact on civilian authority over the military.
Former army officer and lawyer Colonel Inam Raheim said the legislation gives the CDF powers that previously required greater involvement from the prime minister and cabinet.
He argued that decisions concerning the dismissal, retirement or reduction of an officer’s service can now be taken directly by the CDF without the previous level of civilian approval.
A defence analyst also questioned whether the new operational authority is fully consistent with Article 243 of Pakistan’s constitution, which provides that the federal government has control and command of the armed forces.
Lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii similarly argued that the new structure could create constitutional questions because the service chiefs were previously regarded as operating on an equal institutional footing under civilian authority.
However, not all legal experts believe the reforms undermine the constitution.
Supreme Court advocate Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar described the legislation as the legal implementation of the command structure established by the 27th constitutional amendment.
He argued that parliament had not created an authority outside the constitution but had instead provided legislation to give effect to the constitutional changes.
He compared the arrangement with defence command structures in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
However, Pakistan’s system differs in an important respect: its CDF is simultaneously the army chief, meaning the country’s top military commander is permanently drawn from and remains head of the army.
