Details of any potential changes are sketchy, but Southern and Central commands already nominally exist and have had formations allocated to them.
The commander of IV Corps in Lahore is also the commander of Central Command, which also consists of I and XXX Corps.
The composition of Quetta-based Southern Command is slightly different as it faces east and west. The main responsibility of Quetta-based XII Corps is the Afghan border, and Karachi-based V Corps is focused exclusively on the eastern border.
How this geographically opposing orientation would work in practice remains to be seen.
A possible Northern Command would consist of X Corps and also perhaps XI Corps. There will not be a separate command HQ, and the commander of Northern Command will continue to be one of the existing corps commanders.
Despite the recent promotions and allocations, however, and though supportive of the prospective reorganization as it would offer “nothing but benefits,” former Australian defense attache to Islamabad, Brian Cloughley said he is unconvinced wholesale change is imminent.
“The big problem with this is nonavailability of high-quality officers for the three separate HQs. The Army is already suffering badly from an officer shortage, and such a massive staff expansion will really strain it.”
He also cites the operating costs of the new commands and does not believe the new Army chief will “leap into anything dramatic so quickly.”
The Air Force is currently structured around a three-command model. According to Kaiser Tufail, a former Air Force pilot and analyst, “It has to be emphasized that this structure is largely a peacetime arrangement that helps in overseeing routine activities at operational bases, a task which had previously overburdened the [Air HQ] at the expense of sufficient attention to plans and policymaking,” he said.
During times of conflict, things would be rather different.
“The wartime role of the PAF’s regional commands is rather limited, and largely pertains to vetting [and accordingly apportioning] the air support requirements of the Army’s Corps HQ that fall within the respective area of responsibility,” Tufail said.
But he sees potential benefits for Air Force/Army interaction in reorganization.
“Perhaps, the Army’s commands would allow a more efficient one-to-one interaction for the air support tasks to be worked out between the Army and PAF Regional Command HQs.”
However, to be truly effective, Khan said any changes would ideally be made in conjunction with another much- talked about change: an appointment of a tri-service commander/Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and joint HQ.
“It would be ideal to have a five-star CDS,” Khan said. “Appointing a CDS, who would oversee all three services, the Strategic Plan Division, the ISI, promotions and procurements in addition to being a single point of contact between the military and the government.”
However, he does not believe the Army will allow this to happen.
“There will be no movement in making the office of [the Joint Chief of Staff] a viable institution because the Army is not willing to accept the chief of JCS on rotational basis,” he said.
Pakistan Army's Shift to Three-Command Model Inches Forward | Defense News | defensenews.com
