The Pulse | Security | South Asia

Pakistan Passes Legislation to Formalize New Military Command Structure

It operationalizes structural changes that have been unfolding within the armed forces over the past year.

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir visits troops participating in a field training exercise near Narowal and Sialkot, Dec. 3, 2024.

Pakistan’s National Assembly last week passed the Defense Forces of Pakistan Bill. The legislation is part of the ongoing broader set of reforms in the country’s senior military command structure.

The development is significant not merely as a procedural step but as a tangible move to operationalize structural changes that have been unfolding within the armed forces over the past year.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif presented two related bills in the parliament, including the Defense Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, and amendments to the National Command Authority Act, 2010.

Both bills had earlier been approved by the federal cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after that meeting described the bills as a continuation of the adjustments introduced under the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The Defense Forces Act, the statement noted, aims “to determine the relevant administrative matters regarding the office of the Chief of Defense Forces and the Chief of Defense Forces Headquarters.” Similarly, the amendments to the National Command Authority Act were described as a “necessary process” following the constitutional changes enacted last year.

The 27th Constitutional Amendment, passed by parliament in 2025, essentially altered Pakistan’s higher defense structure. It abolished the long-standing office of the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee and created the new position of chief of defense forces (CDF). Both posts are occupied by the chief of army staff. Moreover, Field Marshal Asim Munir became the country’s first chief of defense forces under the revised framework. Furthermore, the amendment also established the commander of the National Strategic Command (CNSC), which is a four-star office responsible for the operational integration of Pakistan’s strategic forces. These changes marked one of the most significant overhauls of the country’s top military hierarchy in decades.

The legislation approved last week carries those constitutional provisions into legal form and introduces further refinements. Arguably, the Defense Forces of Pakistan Act is designed to give practical effect to the CDF’s role as the overall commander of the armed forces. The draft of the bill explicitly states that the changes are intended to ensure “multidomain integration, restructuring and optimum jointness of the Armed Forces.” In essence, the provision seeks to reduce compartmentalization between the individual services and create a more unified operational posture across land, air, maritime and other domains.

According to the draft, the........

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