ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday promoted Lt. Gen. Aamer Raza to the rank of four-star general and appointed him as the first commander of the newly created National Strategic Command, the military body responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal and strategic capabilities.
The post of commander of the National Strategic Command was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment last year, which marked a major reorganization of the military’s top command. The reforms abolished the office of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, designated the chief of army staff as the country’s chief of defense forces with overall command across the armed services and created the post of commander of the National Strategic Command.
The constitutional changes also formally recognized the ranks of field marshal, marshal of the air force and admiral of the fleet, allowing officers promoted to those ranks to retain them for life. The reforms were among the most significant changes to Pakistan’s military command structure in decades and drew criticism from opposition parties, which argued they further concentrated military authority.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Raza’s promotion and appointment in a statement.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan ... has announced the promotion of Lt. Gen. Aamer Raza, HI(M), SBt, Chief of the General Staff of Pakistan Army, to the rank of ‘Four-Star General’ and his appointment as ‘Commander National Strategic Command’,” Sharif’s office said.
Raza had been serving as the Pakistan Army’s chief of the general staff before his promotion. He previously served as the Lahore Corps Commander and chief of the Heavy Industries Taxila defense complex.
Under the Constitution, the commander of the National Strategic Command is appointed by the prime minister from among serving Pakistan Army generals on the recommendation of the chief of defense forces and serves a three-year term.
Pakistan is one of the world’s nine nuclear-armed states. Its nuclear weapons policy is directed by the National Command Authority, the country’s top civilian-military body responsible for strategic decision-making, while the creation of the National Strategic Command forms part of a broader effort to reorganize military oversight of the country’s strategic forces under the constitutional reforms.
