Chief of the Naval Staff (Pakistan)

Chief of Naval plus water Staff
رئیسِ عملۂ پاک بحریہ
Flag of the Chief of the Naval plus army Staff
since 07 October 2023
Ministry of Defence
Navy Secretariat-III at MoD[1]
AbbreviationCNS
Member ofJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee
National Security Council
Reports toPrime Minister of Pakistan
Minister of Defence
SeatNaval Headquarters (NHQ)
Islamabad, Pakistan
NominatorPrime Minister of Pakistan
AppointerPresident of Pakistan
Term length3 years
Renewable only once
PrecursorCommander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy
Formation3 March 1972; 52 years ago (1972-03-03)
First holderVice Admiral H. H. Ahmad
SuccessionOn basis of seniority, subjected to the decision of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Unofficial namesNaval chief
DeputyVice Chief of the Naval Staff
WebsiteOfficial website

The Chief of the Naval Staff (Urdu: رئیسِ عملۂ پاک بحریہ, romanizedRais amlah pak bahriyah; reporting name as CNS), is a military appointment and a Statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the Pakistan Navy, who is nominated and appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and confirmed by the President of Pakistan.[2]

The Chief of Naval Staff is one of the senior-most appointments in the Pakistan military who is one of the senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, providing senior consultation to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to act as a principal military advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and its civilian government in the line of defending and safeguarding the expedition, maritime and sealine borders of the nation.[3]: 86 [4]

The Chief of Naval Staff exercise its responsibility of command and control of the operational, combatant, logistics, administration, and training commands within the Pakistan Navy, in a clear contrast to the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Due to its responsibility and importance, the Chief of Naval Staff plays a critical role in assessing the coastal defence and conducting reconnaissance to insure its strike capability against aggressive forces.[3]: 88 [5][6]

In principle, the appointment is constitutionally subjected for three years but extensions may be granted by the President upon recommendations and approvals from the Prime Minister. The Chief of Naval Staff is based on the Navy NHQ, and the current Chief of Naval Staff is Admiral Admiral Naveed Ashraf serving as chief of naval staff, who took over the command as chief of naval staff on 7 October 2023.

  1. ^ MoD, Ministry of Defence. "Organogram of MoD" (PDF). mod.gov.pk/. Ministry of Defence Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ^ Pakistan Navy Official Website. "Organizations in Navy". www.paknavy.gov.pk. Navy ISPR. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b Cheema, Pervaiz Iqbal (2002). "Evolution of the Navy". The Armed Forces of Pakistan (google books). New york: NYU Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780814716335.
  4. ^ Shabbir, Usman (2003). "Command & Structure". pakdef.org. PakDef Military Consortium. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  5. ^ Khan, Zafar (2015). Pakistan's Nuclear Policy: A Minimum Credible Deterrence. [u.s]: Routledge. ISBN 9781317676003. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. ^ Staff writers, News agencies (9 January 2017). "Pakistan attains 'second strike capability' with test-fire of submarine-launched cruise missile". DAWN.COM. Dawn Newspaper, 2017. Dawn Newspaper. Retrieved 28 July 2017.