Agree with this assessment
More conventional power is needed to some extent.
However, the number 1 rule of war is to never fight on the enemy’s terms, make the enemy fight on your terms.
India has a conventional numerical advantage barring any major Pakistani initiative to change the equation. However, Iran is the best example of how to employ asymmetric warfare against your enemy to level the playing field. Pakistan can win an asymmetric war against India so Pakistan must force India into an asymmetric war so India fights on Pakistan’s terms. Conventional capabilities can create a hybrid war where one can leverage both conventional and unconventional methods for maximum effect. Advantage of asymmetric doctrine is that smaller countries can be equal to or better than more powerful countries in an asymmetric war. So the playing field is leveled and India will not have an advantage being the bigger country while enabling Pakistan to inflict disproportionate damage on India relative to its size. Good example of that would be using conventional aircraft to carry out airstrikes while leveraging asymmetric capabilities like cyber warfare to simultaneously cripple the enemy’s communication and response. Missiles and proxies are also key to an asymmetric doctrine because they allow smaller countries to level the playing field against a larger enemy. A large arsenal of precision missiles act as force multipliers because they allow the enemy to target enemy airbases before they can be used to retaliate, severely delaying or complicating the enemy response. Proxies are a good method of weakening the enemy gradually or suddenly based on whatever the situation necessitates. The flexibility, adaptability, and plausible deniability of proxies make them ideal as they can manipulate change rapidly in a fluid and asymmetric environment.
What Pakistan really needs is a dual military system like Iran. Iran has Artesh and Sepah as conventional and asymmetric militaries that are run completely separate. A Pakistani Quds Force like organization and a cyber unit would go a long way in improving Pakistan’s asymmetric capabilities.
Your absolutely right. I want to touch few of your points.
Pakistan's asymmetric capabilities for attrition are hampered by 2 things. Threat of sanctions and depletion of resources in afghanistan which dilutes Pakistan's conventional strength and hence comprising its deterrent capabilities.
Threat of sanctions is most dangerous. To avoid it Pakistan must make it clear to NATO that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used against western nations which musharraf actually tried to do (whether we like him or not)
Then also make it clear that if you view Pakistan's support of kashmir from india's view which is terrorism, it will go straight to the garbage bin. US will understand it. Musharraf again did some work on that.
Your point about cyber capabilities is v. important. But in Pakistan we can't even handle dawn and tribune. U will see china daily more positive and pro Pakistan than these two terror papers.
A news channel like Press Tv, proper pro pakistan english newspaper, a cyber corp which is part of cyber command of Pakistan armed forces just like in iran and US. A cyber corps will run social media centers, and also attack behind the enemy lines with asymmetric attacks. I would also put cyber battalions or platoons in each corp as well.
We should learn good things from Iran despite our differences with them. Sadly most Pakistanis only see Iran with a sectarian eye. I dont like Iran's regime at all, but their doctrine is worth a look.
On topic, your point about iranian missile deterrent is right. Iran will launch a saturation attack against any invader by not just ballistic or cruise but also Air defence networks which they have strongly woven. Imagine this deterrent. We have to plead with Pakistan armed forces to develop a declared conventional missile command its very important. Iran has the largest arsenal of missiles in M.east and we should have in S. asia.
Now about iran's revolutionary guard corp. I am of the view Pakistan needs an internal security force like iran, russia, india and egypt. Bhutto ( whether we like him or not) made federal security force with ex military. It should have continued and may be it would have become what sepah is today because sepah started as a purely internal guard and now look at it. If Pakistan army doesn't trust such a force, why not give rangers such a role.
Put all FCs and rangers and national guards under one name but with different sectors and develop special forces wings in them. They can their own intelligence wings. We can use them both internally and externally like iran does with sepah. Imagine a 3 hundred thousand strong paramilitary with all these capabilities.
Now, Iranian naval tactics can also be adopted. Why not have 20 missile boats comparable to azmat class. Why go for big ships only? Iranians deploy coastal missile defense, air defence systems and these missile boats in large numbers.
These things should be discussed more often with many members.
