(CDF / COAS)'s Desk

[Oscar]

What does “culturally futuristic” mean in this context?

 

[Watandar]

Some knowledgeable Pakistani analysts I listened to had this view on this CDF post :

The conflicts of the future will be about air, naval, cyber, covert action, economic coersion, autonomous machines , information and space. The army boots will play less and less of a role and pitched land battles will be rare. This means that funding and attention will gradually shift to these services from the army and the army will lose prominence.

Hence the creation of this CDF post in Pakistan and re-organization of armed forces , putting the army always on top. It's for the purpose of army brass maintaining its hold on the armed forces in a future where the army itself will be less and less relevant.

 

[hasssanali8998]

knowledgeable Pakistani analysts

can you share them here por favor

 

[VCheng]

What does “culturally futuristic” mean in this context?

Lasers, of course. Pew! Pew! Pew!


Seriously though, what it likely refers to having a mindset that looks to newer ways of doing things to keep up with rapid changes, rather than relying on old strategies and ways of doing things - or at least one hopes.

 

[White Privilege]

Some knowledgeable Pakistani analysts I listened to had this view on this CDF post :

The conflicts of the future will be about air, naval, cyber, covert action, economic coersion, autonomous machines , information and space. The army boots will play less and less of a role and pitched land battles will be rare. This means that funding and attention will gradually shift to these services from the army and the army will lose prominence.

Hence the creation of this CDF post in Pakistan and re-organization of armed forces , putting the army always on top. It's for the purpose of army brass maintaining its hold on the armed forces in a future where the army itself will be less and less relevant.

The army itself will definitely go through a transformation, there is no other way. A manpower intensive, technologically inferior land force can't do jack in the upcoming war. Army would likely also adopt the multi domain operations in its own manner, as stated by Munir.Also Army AD would cooperate with the air force more.My advise is to induct technology, have smaller but highly trained infantry,cut frontline troop numbers but train them extensively in the new technologies, and relegate more manpower to FC and rangers for fight against terrorists.

 

[Goenitz]

where did i mention politics ffs , cant you people get out of your asses for few minutes . jeez !
View attachment 164324this is posted in the strategic affairs so clearly not for politics , if you wanna whine go to 4 or 5 pti threads .
i was just happy that forces will retain their autonomy

First of all, watch your tone. Just bcz you support military blindly, you don't have privilege to insult anybody.
Then, please improve your comprehension. I stated that if Army's apolitical claims cannot be taken seriously, then these shouldn't too.
Take care

 

[Pakman1]

Some knowledgeable Pakistani analysts I listened to had this view on this CDF post :

The conflicts of the future will be about air, naval, cyber, covert action, economic coersion, autonomous machines , information and space. The army boots will play less and less of a role and pitched land battles will be rare. This means that funding and attention will gradually shift to these services from the army and the army will lose prominence.

Hence the creation of this CDF post in Pakistan and re-organization of armed forces , putting the army always on top. It's for the purpose of army brass maintaining its hold on the armed forces in a future where the army itself will be less and less relevant.

Army will be less in close combat, but I see many of the infantry men get transformed into drone operators. Just on one video there were 24-30 individual drone operators working simultaneously on their assigned drones & targets. The infantry will be transformed. Tanks are becoming obsolete as seen as lame ducks in the Russia-Ukraine War. @Watandar

 

[hasssanali8998]

First of all, watch your tone. Just bcz you support military blindly, you don't have privilege to insult anybody.
Then, please improve your comprehension. I stated that if Army's apolitical claims cannot be taken seriously, then these shouldn't too.
Take care

i would understand if your sentences were grammatically correct .

you support military blindly,

i have made it pretty clear i don't like dictatorships (including this one and others). if you think not blindly supporting ik makes u pro dictatorship then sorry i cant help you .

Then, please improve your comprehension. I stated that if Army's apolitical claims cannot be taken seriously, then these shouldn't too.

then whose claims , fucking pti or some random ass youtuber ( who you frequently post)

watch your tone

no

you don't have privilege to insult anybody.

don't whine in every thread and i wont need to .

again this thread is not for politics , so pls refrain from talking about it . this is only for the implication of the CDF positions for our armed forces ( esp. PAF )

 

[Watandar]

Army will be less in close combat, but I see many of the infantry men get transformed into drone operators. Just on one video there were 24-30 individual drone operators working simultaneously on their assigned drones & targets. The infantry will be transformed. Tanks are becoming obsolete as seen as lame ducks in the Russia-Ukraine War. @Watandar

that transformation can happen with in the Army under its chief, why does it need a post of CDF where the army now commands all the military ?

There was mention of the air force, navy etc still maintaining their autonomy. But then how will this CDF make an informed decision involving the navy or air force when he has been hands off ? How will he even make such decisions quickly in the course of a war ?

Does the one person of CDF have the capacity to understand and command the ENTIRE armed forces of Pakistan ?

 

[hasssanali8998]

. But then how will this CDF make an informed decision involving the navy or air force when he has been hands off ?

“Each service will maintain its individuality for its operational readiness, [while] the Defence Forces Headquarters will integrate and coordinate the operations of the services.”

read the thing ffs , CDF is just for better coordination like US or NATO have . only problem i have is cdf being from the army , if they change it then its perfect , but its better then nothing

 

[ghazi52]

Afghan Taliban must decide between Pakistan and TTP, says CDF Munir​

• Says Pakistan is peaceful, but anyone testing its resolve will face consequences

BR Web Desk
December 8, 2025

Pakistan’s newly appointed Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Monday addressed officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, sending a clear message to the Afghan Taliban regime, state-run PTV reported.

“The Taliban have no option but to choose between fomenting unrest abroad or maintaining peaceful relations with Pakistan,” he said.

The warning comes days after an exchange of gunfire and shelling was reported at a major Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing, which, according to the Afghan side, killed four civilians and one soldier, AFP reported.


The local hospital authorities on the Pakistani side said a few people sustained minor injuries due to these clashes.

The latest flare-up of fighting between the two countries came despite a ceasefire since deadly clashes in October.

During his address at the newly established Defence Forces Headquarters, the CDF called the creation of the HQ a historic step to strengthen coordination among the three services.

He emphasized that while high command will be unified, each branch will retain its operational autonomy, ensuring both efficiency and flexibility in multi-domain operations.

Field Marshal Munir emphasized that while Pakistan remains a peaceful nation, any attempt to challenge its sovereignty will meet a swift and decisive response. He also issued a stern warning to India, stating that Pakistan’s response to any aggression will be faster and more forceful in the future.

 

[PakAl]

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[hasssanali8998]

New joint HQ seems like a big step in the right direction, whatever one thinks of the appointment of CDF.
We have never had a proper joint forces command HQ similar to say Northwood HQ in the UK or CENTCO, in Tampa. In the past we had all three services cordinating their own forces and liasing with each other via secure comms. A true Joint HQ will see officers, ops, cordination all from one place.

exactly peoples hatred for the army is blinding them for this obvious advantage . only problem i have is cdf being only form army hope it changes , that would make this perfect . like a 3 year term and it rotates between the chiefs

 

[Blain2]

Obviously it remains to be seen, but this will be one of the biggest advantages of this role existing - assuming it is properly utilised. I wonder though if there are drawbacks that the person who fills the role will always be an Army man. How could that limit the capabilities and tactics of the airforce and the Navy?

Nothing is written in stone. In the future a PAF/PN officer could also lead the charge.

My own feeling is that this was a needed change. It became controversial given the person it involves and the surrounding politics. From a military perspective, this is needed and timely.

Here is an opinion from Brig Dr Rashid Waali Janjua on the same:

Chief of Defence Forces​

CDF aims to fix Pakistan’s siloed command structure: AI-driven, multi-domain warfare requires arguably unified control

---

Dr Raashid Wali Janjua December 08, 2025

The 27th Constitutional Amendment has introduced the appointment of Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) in Pakistan which is the subject of several discussions on mainstream as well as social media. The uninformed speculation and debate, unsupported by logic and reason, leads towards confusion which needs to be removed through dispassionate analysis of the need for this important catbird seat in our higher defence organisation (HDO). There is not a frisson of doubt that the reforms in our HDO were long overdue, owing to strategic and operational necessity born out of changed mode of warfare in this artificial intelligence (AI) assisted age.

This is an age of netcentric and multi domain warfare where air, land, sea, space and electromagnetic domains would fight as a network to dominate the famous decision loop i.e. "observe, orient, decide, act" (OODA) through super quick intelligence gathering and concomitant decision making. In this multidomain mode of warfare no single service i.e Army, Airforce and Navy can cast a lone furrow and hope to succeed. Pakistan, like India, had inherited a colonial organisational structure which kept the military organisation highly centralised yet siloed through separate commands in three services.

The British military organisation had a CinC India who used to sit in Viceroy's council and wielded enormous clout in security affairs whilst Air Force and Navy had their own command structure independent of the army hierarchy. The two dominions inherited the three services, one third of which came to the share of Pakistan. Pakistan's first CinC Army was Frank Messervy who was a four-star general while the PAF and PN were led by two-star rank officers who were redesignated as CinCs in 1950. The same designations continued till 1972 when the Joint Staff Headquarters was established and the CinCs of the three services redesignated as COAS, CAS and CNS.


The ostensible objective of HDO reorganisation was to promote jointness and operational synergy between the three services but the actual motive imputed to PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's HDO reform was to gain greater control over the military affairs through a strong Joint Staff Headquarters (JS HQ). He however could not create a potent JS HQ and the appointment of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) remained a ceremonial sinecure for an underemployed four-star general. Though progressively, the military budgeting, tri service coordination in higher military planning, medical & engineering services and strategic planning division affairs were assigned to the JS HQ but the organisation remained powerless and ineffective in bringing the desired operational synergy between the three services.

The result of the above inchoate state of HDO was a wasteful duplication of several functions which in the absence of an effective Ministry of Defence and JS HQ led to profligate waste of resources and lack of desired operational synergy in times of war. The problems were visible during the Kargil conflict where the Army started an operation without due coordination with the other two services, leading to lack of preparedness of PAF for offensive operations during the conflict. Though Army and PAF gelled together well during operations Balakot 2019 and Marka-e Haq 2025, yet the problems might have surfaced had the standoffs graduated to the stage of full-fledged wars.

The future wars would be fought between the networks of sensors, shooters and decision makers (command posts) enabled through multiple domains of space, air, land, sea and cyber space. The mechanised forces like armour on ground and the air platforms would be operating in unmanned mode through UCAVs, drones and UGVs with gilt edged opportunities provided by AI assisted weapon platforms and command posts requiring split second decisions by the strategic military leadership. Without a single empowered commander of the three services, those opportunities might be lost. At present the three Services lack the desired operational synergies both in peace as well as war due to their single service orientation.

All of the modern armies currently follow the tri-service integration model. Americans adopted it after passing the Goldwater Nichols Act in 1986 by establishing unified tri-service combatant commands, while the British adopted the Chief of Defence Staff model in 1959. Indians introduced the concept in 2019 after experiencing friction between Air and Army leadership during the Kargil Conflict and are raising the tri-service unified combat commands. In Europe 32 air forces of NATO operate under a single AIRCOM, which enabled those to generate 1800 joint strikes in 100 days.

The Chinese, Israelis and Russians also follow the same integrated command structure where the jointness and operational symbiosis translates into faster decision making through shortening of sensor-shooter-decision maker loops to minutes from erstwhile hours. Instead of quibbling over turf wars and living in the 30s and 40s era of Douhet, Billy Mitchell and Trenchard, the three services should embrace the new model with alacrity. CDF's efficacy depends upon the powers to exercise meaningful control over the tri-service employment including force readiness, promotions (one star and above), development strategy of three services and employment of forces in war.

Turf wars and stultifying traditions should yield to the dictates of modern warfare which demand jointness in planning and celerity in execution at operational and strategic levels of warfare in present era.

 

[Goenitz]

@Quwa @Bilal
where are you guys. Make a podcast, please. or will it land you in some trouble?