Pakistan has granted its army chief unprecedented legal authority over the country’s army, navy and air force, in the most significant restructuring of its military command system in decades.

The National Assembly in late August passed the Defence Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, alongside amendments to the National Command Authority Act, formally establishing the post of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). Field Marshal Asim Munir, who already serves as army chief, is the country’s first CDF.

The legislation gives the CDF statutory “operational command and control” over all three branches of the armed forces, replacing the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which was primarily a coordinating position.

Al Jazeera reported that the restructuring represents the biggest change to Pakistan’s higher military command since 1976, when the CJCSC position was created to coordinate between the army, navy and air force.

Under the new arrangement, a Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) headed by the CDF will sit above the individual service chiefs. Unlike the former CJCSC, the CDF will have formal authority over military operations across all three services.

Retired military officials cited by Al Jazeera described the change as the creation of a codified chain of command running from the prime minister to the CDF and his headquarters, and then to the individual service chiefs and military formations.

The Indian Express reported that the legislation marks the first time Pakistan has legally placed all three services under the command of a single officer. It noted that no previous law had given one officer such formal authority over the army, navy and air force simultaneously.

The new system has also raised concerns about the balance between the three services. The commander of Pakistan’s National Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear-capable forces, must be an army officer and is appointed on the CDF’s recommendation.

This effectively closes the position to senior officers from the navy and air force, unlike the former CJCSC post, which could theoretically be held by an officer from any of the three services.

Al Jazeera cited defence analysts and former military officials as warning that the new structure is likely to become increasingly army-centric. Some also raised concerns that giving the CDF authority over senior appointments and promotions across all three services could weaken the institutional autonomy of the navy and air force.

The changes also have implications for Pakistan’s nuclear command structure. The CDF is expected to serve as deputy chairman of the National Command Authority, which is chaired by the prime minister and oversees the country’s nuclear weapons programme.

A separate Army Rocket Force Command has also been established to oversee conventional missile operations, creating a distinction between conventional missile strikes and the country’s nuclear command structure.

The most contentious question, however, is whether the reforms strengthen or weaken civilian oversight of Pakistan’s military.

Critics argue that the legislation formalises powers that the army chief has historically exercised informally and could further shift the balance of power away from elected civilian authorities.

Lawyers and defence analysts cited by Al Jazeera questioned whether granting the CDF operational command over all three services is fully consistent with Article 243 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which states that the federal government has control and command of the armed forces.

Others have defended the legislation as the necessary legal framework for the command structure created by Pakistan’s 27th constitutional amendment last year.

The restructuring comes more than a year after the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May 2025 and against the backdrop of the Pakistani military’s longstanding influence over the country’s political system.

Pakistan’s military has staged four coups since independence in 1947 and ruled the country directly for more than three decades. No elected prime minister has completed a full five-year term.

The new arrangement therefore represents more than an administrative restructuring: it formally concentrates operational authority over Pakistan’s armed forces in the hands of a single office, currently held concurrently by the country’s army chief.