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 established National Strategic Command (NSC), a military body tasked with overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal and broader strategic capabilities.
Raza’s promotion and appointment were announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, during a meeting with Raza, Sharif congratulated him on his promotion and new assignment and wished him success in his new role. Before his new assignment, Gen. Raza held the position of Chief of General Staff.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, during his military career, he has commanded the Lahore Corps, served as director general of Weapons and Equipment at the General Headquarters, and led an infantry division as its general officer commanding.
This appointment marks a significant step in the operationalization of the NSC, placing a four-star general at the helm of Pakistan’s highest military structure responsible for strategic deterrence and nuclear oversight.
Notably, with his promotion, Raza has become the second-most senior officer in the Pakistan Army after Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
He also now outranks the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s top intelligence service, in terms of military rank, as the ISI chief’s position is traditionally held by a three-star lieutenant general.
The position of commander of the NSC was established following the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment in 2025, which significantly reshaped Pakistan’s military command structure.
As part of the reforms, the chief of army staff was elevated to serve as the country’s chief of defense forces with authority over all three armed services.
The constitutional changes also introduced the NSC to oversee Pakistan’s strategic deterrence and nuclear command framework.
Pakistan is one of the world’s nine nuclear-armed states and the only Muslim country to possess nuclear weapons.
It maintains a sophisticated and steadily modernizing strategic arsenal that remains central to its national security doctrine.
The country’s nuclear policy is directed by the National Command Authority, Pakistan’s highest civilian-military decision-making body, which exercises ultimate authority over the development, deployment, and potential use of its strategic forces.
NSC further consolidates military oversight by providing a dedicated command structure responsible for the operational management of Pakistan’s strategic capabilities.
This restructuring, introduced as part of broader constitutional and institutional reforms, is intended to streamline command and control, strengthen operational preparedness, and reinforce the credibility of Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent amid an evolving regional security landscape.
