Pakistan reshapes military as Munir becomes Chief of Defence Forces

Pakistan’s defence ministry on Friday officially notified the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir as the first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a move aimed at the major restructuring of the military command since the 1970s.

The development came a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved Munir's appointment. “The president, on the advice of the prime minister, is pleased to appoint Field Marshal Asim Munir (NI) M as the chief of army staff, concurrently the chief of defence forces for a tenure of five years,” Dawn reported, citing the notification.

Last month, the Parliament passed the 27th constitutional amendment, creating a new post of CDF with the objective of a unified command and expediting decision-making in critical situations. The CDF replaced the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), a position now abolished. The new arrangement consolidates operational, administrative and strategic authority in a single office.

Munir was appointed as Army Chief in November 2022 initially for three years, but his tenure was extended in 2024. Munir, who was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal just days after the four-day conflict with India in May, is only the second military officer in Pakistan's history to be elevated to the position, after Field Marshal Ayub Khan in the 1960s.

Talking to the media, Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry on Friday said the establishment of the CDF headquarters was one of the most important steps towards providing the requisite synergy and jointness for military operations.

"This was debated a lot in the media, and we understand that the character of warfare has changed — now there are multi-domain operations taking place. It's no more just land, sea and air; it's in space, it's in cyberspace, it is the informational domain, it's intelligence-based, and war is fought in multiple domains,” he said.