Pakistan Armed Forces

Total Armed Forces:

active - 612,000

reserve - 513,000

Defence Budget:

1999 - $2.9 billion

2000 - $3.3 billion

Army: Pakistan Army

active - 550,000

22 combat divisions

2,285+ tanks

20 attack helicopters

supporting artillery/air defense guns and missiles

Navy: Pakistan Navy

active - 22,000

10 SSK and SSI submarines

8 principal surface combatants

9 patrol and coastal combatants

3 mine countermeasures

Naval Air arm with 5 combat aircraft and 9 armed helicopters

Air Force: Pakistan Air Force

active - 40,000

353 total combat aircraft including
6 fighter/ground attack squadrons (120+ aircraft)
12 fighter squadrons (192+ aircraft)

supporting air defense guns and missiles

Paramilitary Forces active - 288,000

Assessment:

Capable of defense of homeland against all existing and foreseeable theats (India). Limited ability to defend waters outside direct coastline. No apparent force projection capabilities. In terms of personnel, is half the size of India's. Pakistan followed India's 1998 underground nuclear tests with tests of its own, and have adopted a nuclear deterrent strategy towards India. The main flashpoint between the two South Asian rivals is control over Kashmir, where guerillas supported by Pakistan periodically cross the Line of Control into India, with the most recent battles fought in 1999 among the Kargil mountains.

Trends:

Over the past ten years, military spending fluctuated. The majority of the money has been devoted towards modernization. Pakistan has purchased military technology amd missiles from China, although China cut off missiles sales in 2000. Indigenous missile development continues. The level of the country's nuclear capability is uncertain because of a lack of reliable evidence. Arms control agreements with India are lacking.