THE strategy is dynamic; therefore, defence policymakers must be intelligent and flexible to update their military doctrines in response to transformations in strategic environment and the changing nature and characteristics of war driven by equipment modernisation. Armed forces that are apathetic to evolutionary processes in the military domain and incapable of regulating them in response to transformation in current operational environment will swiftly become redundant, and the state will pay cost of military obliviousness on the battlefield in the form of defeat. Thus, amending military doctrine to improve posture is an essential responsibility of the rulers.
Strategy implementation efforts are often bogged down by pitfalls such as policymakers’ inability to anticipate the nature and characteristics of war, increasing likelihood of doctrinal and operational shifts, and a lack of coordination among various tiers of armed forces. These shortcomings prevent the translation of defense policy into action, leading to catastrophic consequences in war.
Often, brilliant strategies fail to produce desired results in war because armed forces miss evolutionary processes in the command domain due to rigidity in organisational structures. Even development and procurement of modern weapons do not serve purpose because the commander does not execute strategy effectively. Thus, real problem is a mismatch between what the strategy was designed to accomplish and how commander-in-chief and his subordinates implemented it.
Pakistan’s neighborhood is very challenging; therefore, rulers must remain vigilant and flexible in reforming its military doctrine to address implicit, explicit and unforeseen threats. The Indian armed forces’ rapid modernisation, the defacto-Taliban government in Kabul’s emergence as a proxy of India against Pakistan, the unending war between the United States and Iran, and increasing defense cooperation between India and Israel pose a serious challenge to its national security. Besides, rapid modernisation of military equipment driven by emerging technologies necessitates reforming the armed forces’ command structure.
The Government of Pakistan and its defense policymakers consider military doctrine, including the National Command Authority (NCA), a living, evolving framework rather than a fixed set of rules. They continuously examine country’s strategic environment, threat constructs, and military doctrine to guide initiatives aimed at military advancement and solidify the defensive fence. Hence, Pakistani armed forces continuously update their foundational principles to adapt to new technologies, shifting geopolitical threats, and lessons learned from recent combat and wargames grounded in hypothetical scenarios.
Following the tradition of refurbishing military doctrine and equipping armed forces with advanced military hardware and restructuring military organisations to employ armed forces efficiently at the time of needs, Parliament of Pakistan passed the National Command Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 and Defence Forces Act 2026, which introduced amendment in the NCA Act 2010, without altering fundamentals of nuclear doctrine, i.e., Full Spectrum Deterrence — on August 20, 2026. The bills continued adjustments introduced under the 27th Constitutional Amendment on November 13, 2025.
The amendment also established the command of National Strategic Command (CNSC), which is a four-star office responsible for operational integration of Pakistan’s strategic forces. The NCA Act 2010 is being amended to abolish the CJCSC as Deputy Chairman NCA, who led the Development Control Committee’s work. The CDF will now be the Deputy Chairman NCA.
The NCA Act is still in the works. Except for this change and creation of the appointment of Commander Strategic Nuclear Command (a four-star general), there is no change in the spirit or letter of Pakistan’s NCA. Before the passage of these bills, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promoted Lt Gen Aamer Raza, Chief of the General Staff of Pakistan Army, to the rank of four-star general and appointed him Commander National Strategic Command on July 24, 2026.
The Defense Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, states, “Pakistan Army Act, 1952, the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, the Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1967, the Cantonments Act, 1924 or any other law relating to members of the Armed Forces shall be construed in a manner which is inconsistent with provisions of this Act.” The important features of the Defense Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026 are the following: • It came into force retrospectively on November 13, 2025, to operationalise the 27th Constitutional Amendment. • It replaced the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF).• It established the Defense Forces Headquarters, which shall be the headquarters of Armed Forces. • The Defense Forces Headquarters shall function under the command and authority of Chief of the Defense Forces (CDF), who shall be principal military advisor to the Prime Minister on national security, defense and all matters relating to the Armed Forces.• The CDF shall have operational command and control of the Armed Forces, and shall be responsible to the Federal Government for all matters relating to such command and control.• The CDF shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as are necessary for multi-domain integration, operational cohesion, coordination and oversight of all matters which have joint, tri-service and strategic implications for the Armed Forces and national security of Pakistan.
To conclude the Defense Forces Act, 2026 establishes the legal framework for a unified military command, giving effect to constitutional mandate and ensuring multi-domain integration, restructuring, and optimum jointness of the Armed Forces of Pakistan by reducing compartmentalization between individual services and creating a more unified operational posture.
Indeed, this synergy is essential across land, air, sea and cyber domains for precision engagements, overwhelming lethality and lightning operational tempo.
—The writer is Vice Chancellor of the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
