Speculation set to end as Pakistan prepares for integrated defense era

Pakistan is poised for its most significant defense restructuring in decades as Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir prepares to take charge as the country’s first chief of defense staff, according to Kamran Khan on his program On My Radar.

Khan said speculation surrounding Munir’s notification will end within the next two days, as the armed forces move toward an unprecedented era of integrated command and joint planning.

He said Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy will formally receive Munir as the inaugural chief of defense staff in a ceremony expected within 48 hours. Munir will serve a five-year term, remaining in office until December 2030.

Khan said the new position would take Pakistan’s command system into a “new phase,” describing it as a structural transformation aimed at improving coordination among the services during crisis and war.

A major change linked to the new role is the appointment of the commander of the National Strategic Command, which oversees Pakistan’s nuclear assets. Khan said the new CDS will recommend a three-year appointment from among serving Pakistan Army generals. The commander may be reappointed for an additional three years and the decision cannot be challenged in court, he said.

He said Pakistan is also expected to announce a new director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence and a new director general of Military Intelligence. Changes at the corps command level are also expected.

Khan noted that the current ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Asim Malik, was originally due to retire in October 2025 but received an open-ended extension from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif due to “extraordinary circumstances.” A permanent DG ISI is now likely, but Khan said Malik is expected to continue as national security adviser.

Looking ahead, Khan said Munir’s tenure means Pakistan will not appoint a new army chief until 2030. By then, he said, many of today’s senior lieutenant generals and even some major generals will have retired, meaning the future CDS and army chief may come from a younger cohort.

Khan emphasized the importance of integrated operations, citing Pakistan’s recent war with India. He said Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu credited the victory to joint planning and unified military command under Munir.

The new CDS role, Khan said, will strengthen Pakistan’s strategic planning, elevate coordination across the three armed forces and bring long-term consistency to defense decision-making.

He said the broader political environment also matters. Pakistan is experiencing rare civil-military harmony, he said, with the government and military leadership aligned on defense, economic policy, foreign affairs and internal security.

He contrasted this with past periods when tensions between political leaders and the military derailed governance. He cited disputes involving former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif and their respective military leaderships, as well as the breakdown in relations between Imran Khan and former Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Khan said Nawaz Sharif has a positive view of Munir and played a central role in his appointment as army chief. He said both the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments — which reshaped the military’s command structure — passed with Nawaz Sharif’s support.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly backs the field marshal and has publicly praised his leadership.

Khan credited Munir with rebuilding public trust in the military and reducing the political polarization that once defined Pakistan’s civil-military relationship. He said global media coverage now focuses heavily on Munir’s strategic leadership.

He cited a New York Times piece that referred to Munir as “The Iron Man,” highlighting his battlefield messaging toward India and his speeches emphasizing Pakistan’s core national positions, including the importance of Kashmir.

Khan said Munir’s rising profile on the world stage — including two meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, who reportedly called him his “favorite field marshal” — reflects how global institutions view Pakistan’s evolving defense structure.

He said the “hybrid plus system,” a term used to describe Pakistan’s current civil-military power arrangement, has become institutionalized. The new CDS framework, he said, will influence Pakistan’s future economic decisions, including fiscal reforms such as a new NFC award, changes in provincial responsibilities and potential administrative restructuring.

Khan said Pakistan now has the synergy and authority needed to use this system to push economic stability. But he cautioned that long-term success will depend on political determination and implementation.

The changes ahead, he said, will shape how Pakistan manages defense, governance and economic reforms well into the next decade.