Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Tuesday warned that Field Marshal Asim Munir Warns of Proxy Warfare and Hybrid Threats, saying hostile elements are increasingly avoiding direct confrontation and instead using indirect, ambiguous methods to exploit internal fault lines. The warning was issued during his visit to the National Defence University in Islamabad, according to the military’s media wing.
In the opening session of his interaction at NDU, the army chief said Field Marshal Asim Munir Warns of Proxy Warfare and Hybrid Threats, highlighting that modern adversaries now rely heavily on proxies, disinformation, cyber tools, and sub-conventional tactics rather than open conflict. He stressed that these evolving threats demand sharper awareness and deeper coordination at the national level.
According to the Inter Services Public Relations, the COAS-CDF received a detailed briefing from a panel of civil and military participants of the ongoing National Security and War Course. The participants presented their academic assessments of emerging national security challenges and the key imperatives required to overcome them in an increasingly complex environment.
During the discussion, Field Marshal Munir outlined the rapidly changing global, regional, and internal security landscape. He said Pakistan continues to face wide-ranging and persistent challenges that extend beyond traditional battlefields. He noted that these threats cut across conventional and sub-conventional warfare, intelligence operations, cyber space, information warfare, military pressure, economic coercion, and other interconnected domains.
The army chief emphasised that such an environment requires comprehensive multi-domain preparedness, constant adaptation, and close synergy among all elements of national power. He said future leaders must be trained to recognise, anticipate, and counter layered cognitive and hybrid threats that target the state from within as much as from outside.
Field Marshal Munir also highlighted the importance of decision-making under uncertainty, saying clarity of thought and intellectual resilience are now essential traits for leaders operating in contested and diffused security settings. He stressed that success in modern conflict depends as much on mental agility and strategic foresight as on conventional strength.
Praising the role of the National Defence University, the CDF described it as a premier institution for developing strategic thinkers capable of converting academic rigor into effective policy and operational outcomes. He underscored that professional military education remains central to strengthening institutional capacity, building indigenous capabilities, and ensuring long-term national resilience.
The visit reaffirmed the military leadership’s focus on preparedness against hybrid and proxy-based threats, as Pakistan continues to adapt to an increasingly complex security environment.
