A Chinese supplied ballistic missile of Pakistan Army

Pakistan has established the Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) in August 2025 to consolidate and strengthen its conventional missile forces following the May 2025 conflict with India.

The ARFC separates conventional missile operations from the previously unified Nuclear Command Authority, allowing Pakistan to manage its conventional missiles independently, which enhances command and control, speeds response time, and offers coordinated, precise deployment in future conflicts.

This move addresses critical shortcomings revealed during Operation Sindoor when Pakistan's missile responses, especially the Fatah-series, were less effective against Indian precision strikes using BrahMos and SCALP missiles.​

The ARFC is modelled on China's People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) and is designed to unify dispersed conventional missile units into a cohesive command structure.

It covers a wide spectrum of conventional missile systems, from short-range battlefield rockets like Fatah-1 and Fatah-2, to medium-range ballistic missiles such as Nasr and Ghaznavi, and longer-range systems including Shaheen MRBMs and Babur cruise missiles capable of striking deep targets.

Most of Pakistan’s missiles are either imported from or developed with assistance from China and North Korea.

This consolidation aims to ensure faster decision-making, coordinated launches, and integrated targeting, enabling Pakistan to deliver rapid, theatre-wide strikes with precision.​

Strategically, the ARFC aims to reduce the risk of nuclear escalation in conventional warfare by providing Pakistan with credible conventional missile deterrence and retaliatory capabilities. It allows Pakistan to respond to Indian precision missile attacks swiftly, with limited reliance on its nuclear arsenal, thereby managing escalation more effectively.

Defence analysts suggest this could escalate the intensity and scale of conventional missile exchanges in South Asia, with both India and Pakistan prioritising deep-target strikes on military and industrial assets during conflict. The ARFC thus signals a significant change in Pakistan’s military posture, emphasizing rapid-response, conventional warfare precision strikes over nuclear brinkmanship.​

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif introduced the ARFC as a direct lesson from the May 2025 conflict where Pakistan’s conventional missile use was hindered by command fragmentation and dual-use restrictions under nuclear command.

The ARFC’s creation institutionalises new capabilities for managing rockets and missiles, including anticipated integration of hypersonic missile systems, and aligns Pakistan’s military structure with modern doctrines that stress conventional precision strike dominance without crossing nuclear thresholds.​

This development coincides with regional military trends, including India’s proposal for an Integrated Rocket Force and China’s established PLARF, reflecting the growing prominence of missile forces in subcontinental and global conflict strategies.

It indicates Pakistan’s strategic intent to enhance its deterrence and warfare options using conventional missile technologies, balancing escalation control with increased operational readiness and strike capability.​

Pakistan’s Army Rocket Force Command marks a fundamental shift in its military doctrine by bringing conventional missile forces under a dedicated command, improving operational efficiency, response speed, and precision strike potential against India.

This new structure aims to mitigate risks of nuclear war while enabling Pakistan to counter India’s advanced missile capabilities more effectively, altering the dynamics of future South Asian battlefield engagements.​

IDN (With Agency Inputs)