Pakistan has appointed Field Marshal Asim Munir, the current army chief, as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) for a five-year term, the Pakistani government announced on Friday.
Under the newly created role, Munir will oversee all branches of Pakistan’s armed forces. The position was established following constitutional reforms passed earlier this year, marking the biggest structural change in Pakistan’s military command in decades.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Munir, calling him the “sentinel of national security,” and praised his leadership in what he described as a “decisive victory in the Battle for Truth” — language commonly used by the government to refer to political and security challenges of recent years.
Sharif said Munir had “unified the Armed Forces and galvanized the nation,” adding that Pakistan would continue strengthening its defence capabilities.
In a separate notification, the government extended the tenure of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu for two additional years. Sharif said the air force, under Sidhu’s command, had “destroyed seven enemy aircraft and advanced missile defense systems,” without providing further details.
Pakistan’s defence ministry and the military’s media wing have yet to clarify how the new CDF structure will operate alongside existing service chiefs or whether it will alter the traditional power balance within the armed forces — historically the most influential institution in the country.
