National Command Authority (Pakistan)

Defense programs

The National Command Authority is mandate to provide consultancy to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the Pakistan's nuclear weapons stockpile.^{: 334–335} The NCA works on maintaining the existing nuclear deterrent by funding of the science experiments, engineering audits, and computer simulation of hydrodynamics events at its weapons development complexes while helping in guiding new weapons programs as required by the Ministry of Defense of Pakistan.^[9]

Nonproliferation

In the wake of controversies involving S. B. Mahmood (2001) and A. Q. Khan (2005), the two senior scientists in Pakistan's weapons program, the National Command Authority's role in nuclear nonproliferation became central and primary objective.^{: 336, 359 [4]} Since then, the NCA's mission has evolved into rapidly upgrading its personnel security oversight, clearance levels, and export control of the nuclear technology.^{: 336–337 [4]}

The NCA works with the international partners and the federal agencies to discover, protect, and or dispose of radiological and nuclear materials.^[9] Trusted partnership with the American National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) became a pivot and unique experience for Pakistan to enhance its understanding of export control of the sensitive nuclear technology and the nuclear security and safety to its nuclear enterprise.^: 338

Strategic Plans Division

The Strategic Plans Division (SPD) is a division that works on engineering audits and viability certification of the nuclear weapons that is the essence for validating the operational full spectrum nuclear deterrent.^: 330 The SPD follows the conventional military chain of command but integrated with the nuclear warfare strategy by working towards enabling the nuclear triad with the establishment of the three-tier strategic force commands.^{: 330–331} The SPD creates new weapons programs as required by the Pakistan's Ministry of Defense (MoD).^[5]

The NCA issues directives under the consultancy and after the nuclear weapons stockpile engineering audits certified by the Strategic Plans Division (SPD).^: 334 The SPD is a military directorate whose leadership comes directly as an external billet appointments from the Army GHQ at the request of the JS HQ.^{: 330–331}

In 1990, the Combat Development Directorate was created by the Pakistan Army, with Major-General Ziauddin Butt becoming its first director-general.^{: xvii [4]} The directorate concerning with nuclear weapons development and delivery mechanism reported directly to army chief or the chief of general staff.^{: 388 [4]} The combat development directorate functioned until 1998 with Lieutenant-General Zulfikar Ali Khan its final director when the Strategic Plans Division was created as a secretariat of the National Command Authority in 2000.^: x [4]

As of 2022, Lieutenant-General Yusuf Jamal is serving as the director-general of the Strategic Plans Division as well as serving as in capacity of Secretary of NCA.^[11] To address the physical security of the nuclear weapons, the SPD operates its own paramilitary unit, which has received training in past from the United States Department of Energy's Federal Protective Forces.^[5]