Pakistani Security Forces

Pakistan's security forces are composed of a regular military, several paramilitary organizations that will report to a new National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Inter-Services Intelligence, and police organizations. The structure reflects a concern with very different threats: major conventional and potentially nuclear warfare with India, guerilla movements in disputed or tribal territories, and counterterrorism in the main provinces of the country.

Regular military

The conventional forces comprise an Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and Maritime Security Agency), and Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya).

Regular military

Unquestionably, the primary concern of the regular military forces is war with India; there have been numerous engagements. Pakistani forces also, however, participate in a number of United Nations peace operations.

From a command and control standpoint, the Air Force has moved to three regional commands, and the Army may be doing so. The Army does not publish its order of battle.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

There is a Pakistani National Command Authority, responsible for both development and employment. Employment is under the Head of the Government, supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Chairman), Minister of Defence, Minister for Interior, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), Services Chiefs, Director General Strategic Plans Division (Secretary) and Technical Advisors/others as required by the Chairman.

Gravity bombs were available before missiles. Probable delivery aircraft include the Chinese A-5 FANTAN, French Mirage III, and U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon. The latter have not been upgraded to current standards and were blocked for delivery for years, a continuing source of tension between Pakistan and the US.

Pakistan's Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) is responsible for ballistic missiles.

Counterinsurgency

Counterinsurgency strategists, who think in population-centric rather than enemy-centric terms, are looking at strengthening the Pakistani security forces to operate in a more effective way. This hardly represents a consensus within the Pakistani government, when President Asif Ali Zardari said, in May 2009, Pakistan needed to develop its capabilities and required more military aid,. Also in May, Pakistani Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani said "[E]xcept for very specialized weapons and equipment and [advanced] technology, no generalized foreign training is required," and outside input would be counterproductive.

This is a major conflict for U.S. policymakers. C. Christine Fair of the RAND Corporation said "Pakistan's army does not want to become a counterinsurgency force."

Paramilitary

Paramilitary forces are of varying quality. The most effective are the Pakistan Ranger commands in Punjab and Sindh Provinces; the Frontier Corps in the Northwest Frontier Province and Baluchistan Province are less so.

A new development is having them report to a National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), to be headed inspector general of police, Tariq Pervez. President Zardari asked for funding for NACTA on March 28, 2009; the assumption is that there will be considerable foreign assistance, and incentive pay for the counterterrorism personnel.

Police

Pakistan is facing a grave threat from a variety of insurgent and terrorist groups. So far, the army has been the principal U.S. partner in contending with a variety of insurgent and terrorist threats in the tribal areas, the Northwest Frontier Province, and elsewhere.

External

Peace operations

There has been a small UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) since 1949.