Hostile elements using proxies to ‘exploit internal fault lines': Field Marshal

• COAS highlights complex security environment in NDU visit.
• Field Marshal says country facing broad, persistent challenges.
• Says future leaders must be trained to counter cognitive challenges.
  

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Tuesday warned that hostile elements increasingly employ indirect and ambiguous approaches, including the use of proxies to exploit internal fault lines, rather than overt confrontation, according to the military's media wing.

In a statement, the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR) said the army chief made the remarks during his visit to the National Defence University (NDU).

It said the COAS-CDF was briefed by a panel of civil and military participants of ongoing National Security and War Course on their academic perspective about challenges to national security and imperatives for overcoming them.

In his interaction, the Field Marshal outlined the complex and evolving global, regional and internal security environment, emphasising that the country faces broad and persistent challenges. 

The CDF noted: “These challenges span conventional, sub-conventional, intelligence, cyber, information, military, economic and other domains, requiring comprehensive multi-domain preparedness, continuous adaptation and synergy amongst all elements of national power.”

The Field Marshal stressed that future leaders must be trained and remain alert to recognise, anticipate, and counter such multi-layered cognitive challenges.

He also highlighted that decision-making under uncertainty with clarity and intellectual resilience are critical attributes for operating in today’s contested and diffused security environment, read the statement.

CDF Munir lauded NDU’s role as a premier institution in developing strategic thinkers capable of translating rigorous training and academic insight into effective policy formulation and operational outcomes, as per the military's media wing.

He underscored that professional military education remains central to strengthening institutional capacity, fostering indigenous capability, and ensuring long-term national resilience, it added.