Pakistan unveils Army Rocket Force Command in major defense boost

Marking the 78th anniversary of its independence, Pakistan coupled national celebration with a significant military announcement as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed the creation of the Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), a new branch dedicated to enhancing the nation’s missile and rocket warfare capabilities.

The move sends a dual message, reassuring Pakistan’s 250 million citizens of strengthened national defense while signaling to India Pakistan’s heightened readiness to counter its military posture, according to Kamran Khan in the latest episode of On My Radar.

Unlike the Strategic Plans Division, which safeguards Pakistan’s nuclear assets, the ARFC will operate as a parallel command dedicated to non-nuclear missile systems. Using mobile launchers, it will command and operate a range of rocket and missile systems.

Much like the Fatah-I and Fatah-II missiles deployed in past Pakistan-India conflicts, the ARFC will handle conventional missile operations in potential future battles.

Equipped with long-range rockets and guided missiles ranging from short to medium range, the new force is designed to strike enemy targets without giving the impression of triggering a nuclear conflict.

Similar rocket forces already exist in China, Russia, and India.

Pakistan’s version aims to integrate ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and potentially hypersonic missiles under one unified command architecture, aligning its combat capability with cutting-edge military technology.

Global conflicts in recent years - from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Israel-Iran strikes, and past Pakistan-India hostilities - have shown how effective short- and medium-range missiles can be.

Indian defense analyst Pravin Sawhney predicts that, in any future conflict between Pakistan and India, the Pakistan Air Force and the ARFC would operate at the front lines, supported by China’s satellite systems providing real-time intelligence.

Pakistan’s Air Force is already celebrated worldwide for its skill and performance. Now, with all non-nuclear missile assets centralized under the ARFC, the country will gain sharper coordination, faster strike readiness, and greater precision.

The establishment of this new command signals Pakistan’s shift from merely supporting ground operations to executing strategic stand-off strike missions to disable enemy defense infrastructure before it can even respond.