Pakistan Army Rocket Force | A New Chapter in Modern Warfare Structure

Pakistan has recently announced the establishment of the “Army Rocket Force Command,” thereby crossing an important milestone in its defense strategy. This decision was not made suddenly but came after a limited yet intense clash in May 2025 — which is remembered by the name “Operation Rah-e-Haq.” This operation made Pakistan’s military planners realize that although the country possesses modern missile and rocket systems, there is a lack of a central and coordinated command system to use them promptly and harmoniously.

To understand the importance of establishing this force, understand one basic thing: modern warfare is generally fought on three levels:

First: Tactical Level — This is the lowest level of operation in the battlefield, where direct military actions are carried out against each other, such as machine guns, artillery firing, tank advances, and infantry clashes.

Second: Operational Level — This is a broader scope compared to the first level, where several tactical actions are combined into a larger campaign, such as maintaining continuous pressure on a specific front for several days, cutting off the enemy’s supply line, encircling an area, or advancing fully to gain control over it.

Strategic Level — This is the highest and decisive level of warfare, in which efforts are made to incapacitate the enemy by targeting its overall military capability, political resolve, and economy.

In the past, Pakistan established the “Strategic Plans Division” (SPD) for operations at the highest level, i.e., the strategic level, but it was only responsible for large-scale missiles and nuclear weapons.

At the tactical and operational levels, rocket and missile forces were not integrated or coordinated; various types of guided and unguided rocket brigades and corps were used at the brigade and corps level. The inevitable result of this non-centralized command chain was bound to be delays in operational decision-making. During the recent “Operation Rah-e-Haq,” it was realized that due to a century-old army structure, it is not possible to respond promptly and effectively to a sudden enemy attack.

The establishment of the “Army Rocket Force Command” (ARFC) is being done to address this very deficiency. This force will not only consist of the Fatah series rockets and missiles but will also include ballistic and cruise missiles equipped with conventional warheads, modern suicide drones, and attack drones.

Its primary objective is to provide an immediate and robust response to sudden attacks termed as the “New Normal” by India.

There are reports that Pakistan has started large-scale production of conventional warheads for its major strategic missiles. Additionally, under a “Transfer of Technology” agreement with China, the development of hypersonic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles has been completed or is in its final stages.

This Army Rocket Force will work in close coordination with the Air Force and, in some cases, the Navy. In the event of an enemy attack or a preemptive action, at the outset of the war, it will paralyze the enemy’s command and control centers, missile defense systems, radar stations, weapons depots, and regional headquarters through continuous attacks. After that, conventional infantry, armored units, tanks, and artillery will be able to advance easily.

The establishment of this force will provide the Pakistan Army with a cohesive and integrated strength at all three levels of warfare:

• At the strategic level, targeting the enemy’s major and sensitive targets with missiles equipped with non-nuclear or conventional warheads.
• At the operational level, targeting the enemy’s backend infrastructure, putting pressure on the supply chain, and paralyzing the decision-making ability of local commanders.
• At the tactical level, directly supporting military units in the battlefield.

In recent years, India has created new arms pressure in the region through heavy investment in missile defense systems, hypersonic weapons, and long-range artillery units. Pakistan’s Army Rocket Force is seen as an effective response to maintain the balance of this pressure.

Pakistan’s Army Rocket Force is not merely a new military branch but an announcement of a fundamental change in warfare strategy. Now, Pakistan will not limit its missile capability to strategic attacks alone but will use it fully in the tactical and operational fields as well. This change means that in any potential future war, Pakistan’s response will be swift, coordinated, and more devastating for the enemy.

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