By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s most senior military officer, formally took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces on Monday, a move that consolidates command over the army, navy and air force under a single leader for the first time and signals a major restructuring of the nation’s defence apparatus.
In a ceremony at the General Headquarters, marked by a tri-services guard of honor, Field Marshal Munir delivered pointed warnings to neighbouring Afghanistan and India, emphasising Pakistan’s resolve to protect its sovereignty amid regional tensions.
He told the Afghan regime that it would have to choose between Pakistan and what he called Fitna al Khwarij, a term often used by Pakistani officials to describe militant groups. To India, he reiterated that it should not remain under any deception or delusion, as Pakistan’s armed forces’ response next time would be stronger and swift.
Pakistan, Field Marshal Munir said, was a peace-loving country, but nobody would be allowed to test the Pakistani nation’s resolve, the country’s sovereignty and the regional security. The new role, which Field Marshal Munir holds concurrently with his position as Chief of Army Staff, is intended to centralise operational planning, war-fighting doctrine and modernisation across the services. It places Pakistan closer to command models used by the United States, United Kingdom and other nuclear-armed states, where a unified chief directs inter-service readiness and long-range war planning.
The restructuring comes at a time when militaries worldwide are re-engineering doctrine to counter threats spanning satellites, data networks, information space and unmanned strike capabilities. Pakistan has also established a Chief of Defence Forces Headquarters, which Field Marshal Munir described as a “historic” step toward joint command integration
.In remarks to officers from all three forces after receiving the guard of honor, Field Marshal Munir stressed the need for “a formalised arrangement for tri-services integration and synergy,” adding that future war will involve emerging technologies including cyber operations, the electromagnetic spectrum, outer-space platforms, information warfare, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“He termed the newly instituted CDF Headquarters as historic, which will afford requisite integration, coherence and coordination to meet the dynamics of future threat spectrum under a tri-services umbrella,” the military said in a statement quoting Field Marshal Munir. The CDF highlighted emerging spheres in warfare, such as cyberspace, the electromagnetic spectrum, outer space, information operations, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which Pakistan needs to keep up with.
The ceremony also included gallantry awards for Pakistan Navy and Air Force personnel who fought in Marka-e-Haq, the brief May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, which Pakistan’s military calls a model for integrated land, air, maritime, cyber and electronic combat. During his speech, Field Marshal Munir paid tribute to the personnel who served in the conflict, calling their sacrifice central to Pakistan’s defence narrative. “While addressing the officers of the tri services, [the CDF] reiterated the extraordinary courage and conviction displayed by the complete Pakistani nation, particularly the professionalism of the valiant men and women of the Armed Forces of Pakistan during Marka-i-Haq,” the Inter-Services Public Relations statement read, adding that he paid homage to martyrs.
State broadcaster PTV News reported that according to the CDF, all three services of the armed forces would maintain their “internal autonomy and organisational structure.” He also emphasised that multi-domain operations must be improved under the unified armed services, in light of evolving security threats. “The establishment of the Defence Forces Headquarters is an essential step towards this change,” Field Marshal Munir stated. “Each service will maintain its individuality for its operational readiness, [while] the Defence Forces Headquarters will integrate and coordinate the operations of the services.”
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, in his closing remarks, the CDF envisaged the armed forces as a “culturally futuristic, combat-ready military machine that deters aggression and enjoys [the] full confidence of the nation
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