ordnance factories, US assistance, off-defense-budget major
weapons purchases, pensions, US aid, and Civil Armed Forces
Strategic Doctrine: Countering India’s Cold Start
India takes a minimum of 10 days to mobilize; Pakistan takes
three days because its formations are closer to the border.
After the 2001-2002 mobilization crisis (Operation Prakram),
India drew up a new doctrine called Cold Start. This saw
India attacking with 8 large battlegroups formed from troops
already on the border, with minimum warning, with the
objective of breaking through Pakistani defenses before they
were fully mobilized. To counter, Pakistan would have to
deploy its strike corps, leaving India’s three strike corps
free to mobilize and exploit gaps made by the 8
battlegroups. Pakistan would have nothing left to counter
with.
Unfortunately for India, it did not follow through with the
necessary corollary of its new doctrine, which is that the
Indian battlegroups would have to be fully mechanized for
rapid breakthroughs. It has delayed expansion of its
mechanized forces to the point some argue Cold Start cannot
be executed till 2025.
Further, Pakistan did not wait to start building its
counter, which was to add division sized “Corps Reserves” to
its four holding corps (V, XXXI, IV, and XXX). Each corps
now has three armored/mechanized brigades for
counter-penetration against India’s 6 advancing
battlegroups. Next, it plans to add a third strike corps,
giving it parity with India. The Pakistan strike corps are
2/3rds the size of the Indian (two divisions versus three),
but Pakistan is working on mechanizing all divisions in its
strike corps, whereas India has an armored division and two
infantry divisions, each with an armored brigade.
ORGANIZATION
NATIONAL
COMMAND
AUTHORITY
(nuclear weapons)
Strategic Plans Division
Development Control Committee
Employment Control Committee
Army Strategic Force Command (status equal to corps, and the
reason why some sources say Pakistan has 10 corps) Estimated
7000 troops.
Strategic Force North (2 missile groups) Sargodha
Strategic Force South (3 missile groups) Quetta
1st Strategic
Missile Group[3] (Shaheen II/Haft IV)
2nd Strategic
Missile Group (Haft III/Ghaznavi as of 2006) (Sargodha)
3rd Strategic
Missile Group (Khuzdar)
14th Strategic
Missile Group
? Strategic Missile Group (number unidentified)
An unidentified SFS missile group is at Hyderabad (included
in the five groups above).
Hatf I
70-km
Hatf IA/B
100-km
Hatf II
180-km land-based “Abdali”, 500-kg warhead
Hatf IIA
300-km land-based missile, also called “Abdali”
Hatf III
290-km land-based missile; Chinese M-11; “Ghaznavi”
Hatf IV
700-km land-based missile; Chinese M-9 “Shaheen I”
Hatf V
1,500-km IRBM “Ghuari”
Haft VA
1,800-km IRBM, “Ghauri 2”
Haft VI
2,000-km; solid fuel; possibly Chinese M-18; “Shaheen
II”
Hatf VII
500-km cruise missile “Babur”
Haft VIII
350-km air-launched cruise missile “Raad”
Hatf IX
60-km, twin-launcher, alleged with a sub-KT warhead
Haft??
3,000-km, “Ghauri 3”
Hatf-I, Hatf-II, and Hatf-III are with the Pakistan Army’s
two artillery divisions. Hatf-II has not, as far as we know,
been fired after 2007 and may be under replacement. Hatf VII
may be with the artillery divisions. Hatf VIII is with the
Pakistan Air Force. Though media speculates the missile will
be carried by the F-16, there is no a priori reason to
assume this. All other missiles are with Strategic Force
Command.
Numbers are speculative. Our best estimate, liable to
revision at any time is:
Hatf-I through –III: 2 missile groups (36 launchers total,
reloads available)
Hatf-IV through –VI: 3 missile groups (54 launchers)
Hatf-VII: 2 missile groups (including one forming)
Hatf-VIII: 20+ missiles
Hatf-IX: 1 missile group when operational
FORMATIONS
9 Corps HQ
1 area command[4]
1 Special Operations Task Force HQ in the North West
Frontier Province
1 separate territorial HQ in Cholistan area, actually
Special Operations School
3 administrative commands
Northern
(Rawalpindi)
Central (planned)
Southern (Quetta)
3 logistic areas (phasing out in favor of admin commands)
3 armored divisions (by 2013)
1st Armored Division
6th Armored Division (Kharian, I Corps which is
Army Reserve North)
A new armored division is planned for the new Army Reserve
South
5 mechanized divisions (last
by 2014)
25th Mechanized Division (Karachi, V
Corps)
26th Mechanized Division (Bhawalpur, XXXI
Corps)
??
Mechanized Division (under raising, XXX Corps)
??
Mechanized Division (planned for IV Corps, delayed)
??
Mechanized Division (planned for new Army Reserve
South)
(Though 17th and 40th Divisions
are sometimes referred to as mechanized, we do
not yet have A1
confirmation)
18 infantry divisions
7th, 8th, 9th, 10th,
11th, 12th, 14th , 15th,
16th, 17th, 18th, 19th,
23rd, 33rd, 35th, 37th,
40th, and 41st Divisions
1 Special Forces Division (5th)
3 artillery divisions
2 anti-aircraft divisions (3rd and 4th)
10+ AD brigades (some of which are included in the above
divisions)
6-7 independent brigades (including one on UN service)
9 Corps artillery brigades
7 engineer brigades (this figure is approximate)
1 Special Forces brigade (1 more planned)
4 battalions
3 independent companies (Signals, anti-terror/hostage
rescue)
25th and 26th Mechanized Divisions
Pakistan identifies Corps Reserve V Corps as 26th
Mechanized Division and Corps Reserve XXXI Corps as 25th
Mechanized Division. For some time the Corps Reserve had
armored division numbers. The reason for the change is not
confirmed at this time.
Army Reserves
Army Reserve North: consists of HQ I Corps, 6th
Armored and 17th Mechanized Divisions. It is
committed to the Chenab-Ravi Corridor.
Army Reserve Center: currently known as Army Reserve South.
When a new ARS is formed, ARC will consist of HQ II Corps
with 1st Armored and 40th Mechanized
Divisions. II
Corps is currently ARS.
Army Reserve South: currently II Corps, which will become
ARC. ARS will then consist of a new corps HQ, with a new
armored and a new mechanized division.
Deployment
The creation of two regional commands plus a third planned
is not the long-anticipated remedy for the unusual field
command structure of the Pakistan Army, where GHQ controls
all ten corps directly. Rather, the regional commands are
upgradations of the logistic areas. They will take over more
of the corps’ administrative responsibilities than was the
case with the logistic commands.
A peculiar feature of Pakistan’s Southern Command and the
recently activated Northern Command is that they are
actually the corps HQs for X and XII Corps. At the same
time, this does not imply that the two corps HQs have been
disbanded. We are wholly unclear how this arrangement works.
Each corps has an integral field artillery brigade. Most
corps also have AAA brigades and engineer brigades assigned.
Counterinsurgency deployments
Six division HQs are assigned to countering the Taliban. Because the 20
brigades (with 72 infantry, armored, engineer, and artillery
battalions) come from different divisions, the deployment is
sometimes given as 7-8 divisions. The orbat below applies to
early Spring 2008.
HQ XI Corps
7th Infantry Division (Datta Khel) South
Waziristan
9th Infantry Division (Wana) North
Waziristan
14th Infantry Division North Waziristan
HQ X Corps
23rd Infantry Division (Mingora) Swat
One infantry brigade from the division
Three independent brigades from IV and XXX Corps
37th Infantry Division (Buner)
Reserve
17th Infantry Division
Peacetime Deployments
GHQ Reserve
37th Infantry Division
X Corps [HQ Rawalpindi] AOR West/North Kashmir[5]
12th Infantry Division (5+ brigades)
19th Infantry Division (3 infantry brigades; reserve for the
corps)
23rd Infantry Division (4 brigades)
Force Command Northern Areas [HQ Gilgit] AOR Northern Areas
4-5 Infantry Brigades normal garrison
111th Independent Infantry Brigade[6]
3 infantry battalions
1 Ceremonial Guard Battalion
XXX Corps [HQ Gujranwala] AOR Chenab River to Ravi River
8th Infantry Division (4 brigades)
15th Infantry Division (4 brigades)
Mechanized Division (Corps Reserve XXX Corps) (under
raising)
2 armored brigades (existing)
1 mechanized brigade (to be raised)
1 independent infantry brigade (double strength)
IV Corps [HQ Lahore] AOR Ravi River to Sutluj River
10th Infantry Division
11th
Infantry Division
Mechanized Division (delayed, to function as Corps Reserve
IV Corps)
3 independent infantry brigades
XXXI Corps [HQ Bhawalpur] AOR Sutluj River to Rahim Yar Khan
26th Mechanized Division (Corps Reserve XXXI
Corps)
14th Infantry Division
35th
Infantry Division
V Corps [HQ Karachi] AOR Sindh
25th Mechanized Division (Corps Reserve V Corps)
16th Infantry Division
18th Infantry Division
XI Corps [Peshawar] AOR North West Frontier Province
Artillery division (forming)
7th Infantry Division
9th Infantry Division
1 Special Operation Task Force [ad hoc division with
existing units on rotation]
XII Corps [Quetta] AOR Baluchistan
33rd Infantry
Division
41st Infantry
Division
I Corps [Mangla] [Army Reserve North]
6th Armored Division
17th Infantry Division
1 independent armored brigade
1 artillery division (new)
II Corps [HQ Multan] [Army Reserve South]
1st Armored Division
40th Infantry Division
2nd Artillery Division
EQUIPMENT
MBT 3000
500 Al Khalid I/II (replacing T-59/T-85); based on PRC T-90
300 T-80 Ukraine
600 Al Zarar (upgraded T-59)
T-85 PRC
T-69 PRC
300 T-59 PRC
(M-48 has been finally withdrawn)
IFV
Hamza (procuring; number unknown)
~150 Al Fahd
APC 2600 (tracked)
2000 Al Talha (modified M-113); current ~1000;
balance planned by 2012
1600 M-113A2 (earlier M-113A1 upgrading[7])
~400 UR-16 wheeled with paramilitary forces
Al Saad (M-113 with extra road wheel)
160 BTR-70 (UN peacekeeping)
ARTY (T) 1800
Converting to all 155mm by 2019
120 M-198
40 203mm
1000 PRC 85mm/122mm/130mm; Russian 130mm
300 M-101
ARTY (SP) 600
90+ PRC 155mm on 6 x 6 wheeled chassis SH-1
343 M-109A5 (including 228 A2 upgrading to A5)
40 M-110 (additional 20 may have been delivered)
40 Turkey WS1B MLRS (based on PRC WS1A) 80km maximum
40 PRC A-100 MLRS (10 x 300mm rockets for each
launcher)
40+ KRL-21 rocket launchers (indigenous design,
122mm)
AD GUNS 1800
L-60/L-70
35mm twin
SAM (Army and Air Force)
SPAA RB-70, also in shoulder-fired version; ~900
units, re-lifed
SPAA 4 x Anza Mk I, II, III) plus 14.7mm HMG, also in
shoulder fired version, ~1000 units
10 Spada AD SAM Batteries (Battery = 4 launchers each with 6
missiles; Air Force; last deliveries by 2013; ~750 Aspide
including training rounds)
6 Crotale 4000 squadrons (Air Force) with total 24 firing
units. (Though Pakistan has said the Spada 2000 will replace
Crotale, the latter was upgraded as recently as 2007-2008.
It seems unlikely the missile will be phased out as rapidly
as stated.)
SAM-2 (China) unknown number of squadrons, possibly 2 with
six launchers each. Might be replaced by Chinese HQ-12
(40-km) or HQ-18 (Chinese version of Russian SAM-12), both
of which are under evaluation.
ATGM ~3000+
TOW (estimated 600
launchers, 6000 rounds)
Ukraine Type (Estimated 500
launchers, 5000 rounds)
Milan
Indigenous design based on
PRC Red Arrow 8
Special Forces
Special Service Group (Army) 3600 personnel
Pakistan is said to now have ten Commando battalions.
1st Commando Bn
Ayub Company
2nd Commando Bn
Ghazi Company
3rd Commando Bn
Hamza Company
4th Commando Bn
Shaheen Company
Independent Companies
Musa
Company
Karrar
Company
Special Service Group (Navy)
12th Battalion
Special Operations Units, Pakistan Air Force[8]
312 Special Operations Wing
1st SO Squadron
2nd SO Squadron
3rd SO Squadron
4th SO Squadron
5th SO Training Squadrons
10th SO Reconnaissance Flying Squadron
Frontier Corps
3 companies
5 companies more under raising
ARMY
AVIATION
Army Aviation has undergone an expansion in recent years. It
operates in four groups for administrative purposes.
Major-General commands Army Aviation. Brigadiers command
groups.
101st Army Aviation Group (Rawalpindi?)
202nd Army Aviation Group (Quetta)
303rd Army Aviation Group (Rahwali)
404th Army Aviation Group (Multan)
SUMMARY
OF SQUADRONS[9]
3 attack helicopter squadrons
1 VIP/ utility aircraft/helicopter squadron
9 forward air controller squadrons (light fixed wing, some
also with helicopters)
6 assault helicopter squadrons
1 VIP squadron
Schools units
Several squadrons operate with their flights assigned to
different formations.
Aviation School
Mushshak, Hughes 300C, SA-316, Bell 47G, Bell 206B
No. 1 Squadron
Mushshak, SA-316 Alouette
No.2 Squadron
UH-1, Mushshak
No.3 Squadron
Mushshak, SA-315 Lama
No.4 Squadron
Bell 412EP, Mi-17
No.5 Squadron
SA-350, Mi-17
No.6 Squadron
Bell 412 EP (previously UH-1, Mi-17)
No.7 Squadron
Mushshak
No.8 Squadron
AS-350, Mushshak
No.9 Squadron
Mushshak, SA-315 Lama, SA-316 Alouette
No. 10 Squadron Mushshak, SA-315 Lama
No. 11 Squadron Mushshak, SA-315 Lama
No. 12 Squadron Mushshak, UH-1H
No.13 Squadron Y-12, RC690C, RC840, Ce421, Beech 200, Cessna
Citation II and V, AS-350, Puma, Mushshak, Mi-17, UH-1H
No.21 Squadron SA-330, UH-1
No.24 Squadron SA-330
No.25 Squadron Bell 412EP, Mi-17
No.27 Squadron Mi-17V
No.31 Squadron 10 AH-1S, 2 Bell 206
No.32 Squadron 10 AH-1S, 2 Bell 206
No.33 Squadron 10 AH-1F
ISI Detachment Hughes 500, Mi-17
(The attack helicopter squadrons are also given as No. 31,
33, and 35)
503rd
Aviation Base Workshop performs complete overhauls of
helicopters.
AIRCRAFT
INVENTORY
OTHER
BATTALIONS
Navy Air Defense Battalion (Deployed between Karachi and
Jiwani Naval bases)
Mistral
Unidentified SAM
Marine Infantry x 1
Creeks Battalion x 1 (defense of Karachi)
Coast Guard Battalions x 10
Pakistan Rangers (Paramilitary) x ~40 (technically wings of
6 companies each)
Frontier Corps (Paramilitary) x ~60 (technically wings of 6
companies each)
PAKISTAN
REGIMENTS
INFANTRY
Punjab
Frontier Force
Baloch (was spelled Baluch, pronounced as Ba-lo-ch; ch as in
change)
Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir, normally deployed only in
Kashmir area)
Sind (also spelled Sindh); raised after 1972 War with
battalions from other regiments
Northern Light Infantry (formerly paramilitary, regularized
in 1999) (50% Punjabi Muslim)
Mujahid Force Regiment (new, regularization of Mujahid
paramilitary battalions)
Special Service Group (SF battalions, function in companies)
Pakistan has just six infantry regiments; accordingly
numbers of battalions grouped under each regimental center
is enormous: The first three regiments have as many as 60+
battalions each, so that each center handles more battalions
than exist in all but the largest armies today. While the 5
regiments reflect the main ethnic groups in Pakistan, and as
such no compelling case exists for more regimental centers,
Pakistan – unlike India – has chosen not to create national
regiments (in India: Parachute, Guards, Grenadiers,
Mechanized Infantry)
11
Estimated; another ~6 aircraft are with paramilitary forces.
12
There is no indication the purchase has been cleared from
the US end.
13
We are unsure if Pakistan accepted the deal even though it
was cleared by the US Congress. Possibly more AS-550 are to
be bought.
Armor (incomplete list)
Pakistan Reserve Battalion System
Pakistan has a significant number of troops in its
Reserves/National Service pool. The oft given figure of
500,000 is not useful because most of the men will not have
trained for years. Nonetheless, Pakistan has, in the past,
demonstrated the ability to quickly create new infantry
battalions and tank regiments, using reserve manpower. How
efficient these battalions are is another matter. We know
from historical accounts of the Pakistan army that the new
tank regiments did not function well. That was because of
inadequately trained tank and maintenance crews, and
insufficient unit training. These factors probably do not
apply as much to the infantry, because operationally useful
conventional infantry company-size units can be speedily
organized from individual reservists. Below is an example of
capabilities in this area.
1965 War (formal war period September 6 - 23)
16 FF September 12
17 FF September 12
18 FF
September 19
19 FF September
26
20 FF October 1
21 FF October 1
22 FF October
23
23 FF October
25
24 FF
November 22
25 FF
December 19
26 FF
November 22
16,17 and 18 FF seem to even have seen a little action in
the war, despite their raising just days before the
cease-fire. One possibility for this strange situation is
that the battalions might have been incomplete units under
raising, and filled out with troops from the regimental
center. Nonetheless, to add 11 battalions within 13 weeks to
a base of 15 battalions is impressive.
1971 War (formal war period December 3-17)
40 FF November 24
41FF
December 6
42FF December 7
43 FF December 9
Seven other battalions were raised in 1971 prior to the
above 4. The raisings in 1971 were at a more deliberate
pace, with 11 battalions on a 39-battalion base raised
within 9 months. (1966-70 only five battalions were raised,
a realistic pace.
Pakistan Border Forces
Most groups are of 4 wings,
each of 5 service and 1 reserve companies; groups normally
commanded by Deputy Director General who is a brigadier.
Please note that in this
orbat we limit ourselves to wings that we have identified.
There are likely some 60 wings in total.
Frontier Corps North West
Frontier Province
(55,000)
HQ Peshawar
Commanded by a Major General
with the title of Inspector General Frontier Corps (NWFP)
HQ Quetta
Tribal
Police
Frontier Constabulary (7000)
Northwest
Frontier Province Khassadars (lightly armed tribal area
police)
N. Waziristan 3305
Khyber 2800
Kurram, 900
Baluchistan Constabulary
(10,000)
As part of a 2005
reorganization the Baluchistan Reserve Police and
Baluchistan Levys were merged into a Baluchistan
Constabulary.
While 33,000 total strength
has been given, we see no evidence that the Constabulary is
that large.
Ministry of the
Interior Air Surveillance Wing Quetta
50th Squadron
3 fixed wing Cessna
Caravan
15 Huey II helicopters
(14+5 delivered, there have been losses)
The
aircraft/helicopters have FLIR, GPS and equipment for night
missions including Night Vision Goggles, and can also be
used for command and control.
Northern Area Scouts
Wings at
Gilgit
Skardu
Unidentified
Unidentified
Chitral Scouts (6
wings)
Azad Kashmir Rangers
Estimated 3 wings; no
other details
Pakistan Rangers Punjab (HQ Lahore)
Commanded by a Major General
Each group is commanded by a
colonel and consists of several wings commanded by a
Lieutenant Colonel. Most officers and some men are
from the Pakistan Army.
Pakistan Rangers Sindh (40,000) (5 zones)
While the Pakistan Rangers
Sindh perform traditional border duties such as border
security, border policing, and intelligence collection,
their primary role today is internal security in the Sindh.
They act as reserve police, thus ensuring the Pakistan Army
is not drawn into the law-and-order role, patrol federal
highways, and conduct counter-terrorism and asset protection
duties.
AOR: 912 kilometers of
Indo-Pakistan border, including the Rann of Kutch.
National Guard
A paramilitary type
organization, with several Mujahid and Janbaz Force
battalions, which are locally recruited militia. Mujahids
are infantry battalions, and include reserve battalions to
be embodied at need. Most of the Janbaz units are air
defense, but there are some infantry battalions. Total
strength is ~160,000, a reduction since the Mujahid
battalions in Kashmir are now being regularized. Some
Mujahid battalions are permenantly activated and attached to
regular army brigades.
Frontier works Organization ~40,000
personnel
Military heavy
construction/maintenance organization for border roads,
bridges, tunnels, but also used for other construction like
cantonments, airfields, army aviation fields and strips,
dams, thermal power plants, canals, fiber-optic backbone,
and Pakistan Atomic Energy infrastructure. Aside from the
well known 774-km Karakorum Highway linking Pakistan with
China via Pakistan Kashmir, the FWO has also built the
650-km Makran Coast Highway. The Karakorum Highway is now
being converted into six lanes.
Note: Pakistan Defense
Budget
[1]http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=48&pr.y=10&sy=2009&ey=2016&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=564&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a=
[3] These groups
are equivalent to brigades. 18 launchers each.
[4] Force Command
Gilgit-Baltistan, known till 2010 as Force Command
Northern Areas, is not officially designated as a
corps. It is subordinate to HQ X Corps as a
territorial and operational formation. It began in
the 1970s with two brigades, but is now akin to a
corps HQ.
During the 1999 Kargil War, for example, FCNA
had one division HQ and nine brigades.
[5]
This corps has a very large number of Mujahid
infantry battalions. In theory these are second line
battalions, mostly embodied during wartime. In
Kashmir, however, the Mujahids have a high
percentage of permanently activated units. They
compare favorably with Army regulars for the
defensive role.
[6]
The so-called “coup” brigade, sometimes wrongly
identified as a mechanized unit.
[7] There is some
confusion regarding the M-113s because our sources
maintain they are being phased out. Seeing as that
many have been recently updating, we are unsure if
this is the case. Also, in 2008 Pakistan took
delivery of 250 ex-German M-113s, though we cannot
rule out they were procured for parts. 550 M-113s
were acquire as Excess Defense Articles from the US
in the mid/late 2000s, that number may not be
included in the above total.
[8] From
Wikipedia, not independently verified
[9] Estimated
[10] Pakistan is
credited with 40 AH-1s, but several are for spares.
|