New command in Pakistan to handle nuke arms programme

ISLAMABAD, FEB 3: Pakistan has set up a command for handling its nuclear weapons programme, with chief executive Gen Pervez Musharraf bein...

ISLAMABAD, FEB 3: Pakistan has set up a command for handling its nuclear weapons programme, with chief executive Gen Pervez Musharraf being its overall in-charge, media reports said here today.

Approval of National Command Authority (NCA) by the National Security Council was announced late last night following a series of meetings at various levels and among military commanders, all newspapers reported today.

Pakistan has made it clear, following a lengthy debate in the NSC, that the NCA "will be responsible for formulation" and "will exercise employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organisations", the reports said.

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Since May 28, 1998, when Pakistan conducted nuclear tests, the framework of establishing a nuclear command and control authority has been debated to regulate the management of weapons of mass destruction, the dailies reported.

The NCA will be led by the head of government and will consist of top civilian and military leaders who will decide about the deployment and the use of nuclear weapons, an official announcement said.

The NCA will comprise two committees – employment control committee and development control committee. It will also constitute strategic plans division which will act as a secretariat already established at the joint services headquarters under Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

It has been announced that the Employment Control Committee (ECC) will be the apex body, chaired by the head of the government.

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It will include minister of foreign affairs (deputy chairman), minister of defence, minister for interior, Chairman JCSC, service chiefs, director general strategic plans division (to act as secretary) and technical advisors/others as required by the chairman.

The reports said, the Development Committee (DC), comprising the country’s entire defence leadership under the present setup, will also be chaired by head of the government and include CJCSC (deputy chairman), service chiefs, director-general of strategic plans division and representative of the strategic organisation and the scientific community.

The committee will control development of strategic assets.

To serve as secretariat to the NCA, the strategic plans division (SPD) will be headed by a senior army officer (a 3-star general). It has been established at the joint services headquarters under CJCSC. It will plan and coordinate reliable command, control, communication, computers and intelligence (C & I) network for the NSC.

A lieutenant general at the joint service headquarters will be the strategic commander of nuclear weapons.

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