Civil-military fusion

Problem: Civilian legitimacy, no capability. Military capability, no continuity. Pakistan's setup is a split command: Civilians have the paper authority but no muscle to act; the military has the muscle but no long-term anchor.

This dual-power mess – civilian talk without teeth, military punch without legitimacy – breeds delays and blame games on the home front. Enemies exploit it (TTP and BLA hit seams); allies doubt us (KSA and UAE hedge bets).

Solution: Civil-Military Fusion (CMF). In China, the Communist Party fuses civilian tech with PLA modernisation. The outcome: China surpassed the US in shipbuilding by 2023, accelerated hypersonic missile development and became a global leader in electric vehicles – generating an estimated $500 billion in annual dual-use output.

In Turkiye, the National Security Council (1962) serves as the platform where the civilian president and prime minister co-decide alongside military chiefs. Post-2016 reforms have tightened civil–military integration. The result: indigenous defence innovation – ANKA and Ak nc UAVs, T-129 ATAK attack helicopters, the locally built MILGEM Ada-class corvettes, air-defence systems like Hisar-A and Hisar-O and the fifth-generation Kaan fighter prototype.

In South Korea, the National Security Office at the Blue House, established under the 1987 constitution, unifies presidential command with the joint chiefs and key economic ministries. The result was evident in 2017: within 30 minutes of North Korean missile launches, defences were activated, shielding a $200 billion semiconductor industry without a single loss.

In France, the General Secretariat for National Defence and Security (SGDSN) merges civilian and military crisis management (2010). It synchronises the armed forces, intelligence and strategic industries.

In Japan, the National Security Secretariat (2013) integrates foreign, defence and economic ministries. In Singapore, the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) unites military intelligence, Home Affairs and trade ministries (1999).

In Pakistan, duality breeds paralysis, delay and blame – weakening the state’s core. Enemies exploit confusion; allies lose confidence. Civil-military fusion restores coordination, innovation and national resilience. Civil-military fusion is force-multiplication where authority and ability meet, nations rise.

Pakistan suffers not from a weak state but from a split state – authority without ability on one side, ability without continuity on the other. This is not about politics but about reducing OODA loop friction (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act).

This is not militarisation of the state, but a synchronisation of priorities, procurement, industry and crisis response. This is not political fusion but a constitutional one. It is not about civilian or military dominance; it is about harmonisation.

China, Turkiye, South Korea, France, Japan and Singapore have institutionalised civil–military coordination through integrated command systems. China, Turkiye, South Korea, France, Japan and Singapore built systems that deliver. The results are visible. The outcomes are measurable.

Civil and military – fuse them into one chain. Like welding two rifles into a single sniper system: the punch of both, one trigger, one clear sightline. No more friendly fire between silos. That clarity is force-multiplication. Pakistan doesn’t lack assets, ability or courage; it lacks an integrated decision grid during peace that can scale in conflict.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. He posts @saleemfarrukh and can be reached at: [email protected]

Originally published in The News