CASS hosts seminar: “Military Interoperability in Modern Warfare: Transforming Pakistan’s Defence Posture.”

LAHORE ( WNAM REPORT ): The Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS),  hosted a high-level national seminar titled “Military Interoperability in Modern Warfare: Transforming Pakistan’s Defence Posture.” The event was widely attended by academia, students, intellectuals and domain experts. CASS is an independent think tank that continues to arrange academic events for academia and practitioners interested in National Security in its wider context.
The introductory remarks for the seminar were given by Ameer Abdullah Khan, Senior Research Associate at CASS . He emphasised that interoperability is no longer a technical choice but a strategic compulsion. Air Marshal Abdul Moeed Khan HI(M) (Retd) delivered the keynote, emphasising that airpower has fundamentally reshaped the character of joint operations. He highlighted that air superiority provides the platform for ISR dominance, precision targeting, electronic warfare, and real-time command and control. He further noted that modern Jointness must be built on shared doctrine, integrated training pipelines, and real-time situational awareness. While pointing out potential areas for improvement, he asserted that air defence architectures should be strengthened to ensure an impregnable defence. Referring to Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos, he highlighted how Pakistan’s swift, measured, and integrated tri-service response disrupted India’s operational calculus, showcasing the value of multi-domain convergence in real-time. He remarked that victory in future wars hinges upon a tri-service operational cycle: combined war planning, scenario-based war-gaming, and full-spectrum national joint exercises. Lt Gen Aamer Riaz HI(M) (Retd) delivered an incisive interoperability analysis in both conventional and sub-conventional warfare. He argued that as the character of war has changed, India has been waging a continuous war on Pakistan through both direct and indirect means. Commending the success of Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos, he said that interoperability for future wars must be institutionalised through an integrated command system. Rear Admiral Syed Faisal Ali Shah HI(M) (Retd) offered a maritime perspective, identifying how the Indo-Pacific power contestation and India’s pursuit of naval dominance call for interoperable and combat-ready naval networks.
In his concluding remarks, Air Marshal Asim Suleiman (Retd), President of CASS Lahore, asserted that, from conventional threats to hybrid domains, Pakistan’s defence posture is shifting from platform-centric to network-centric warfare, ensuring joint readiness across all domains. He noted that during Marka-e-Haq, the PAF demonstrated its prowess in the air by shooting down seven aircraft, including three Rafales and a Heron UAV. Achieving this in the largest BVR battle ever in modern times, within one hour, was no small achievement. New and advanced home-grown technologies were integrated into the operation, including cyber, EW, space, and the effective deployment of UAVs, making it a practical manifestation of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu’s vision of high-tech, multi-domain operations. Referring to Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos, which took the steam out of the Indians and compelled their government to seek help from the United States, he stated that the operation also reanimated the Kashmir issue, forcing it back onto the agenda. He added that in coordination with the Pakistan Army’s missile and artillery firepower, the PAF struck 34 targets across the border, including 14 airfields, two S-400 batteries, two BrahMos missile dump sites, and various other strategic assets. Given the likelihood of future conflicts, he stressed that every service must perceive the battlefield in the same way, speak the same operational language, and act in unison to ensure effective joint force application. The seminar concluded with a lively Q&A session, engaging participants in a forward-looking discussion on joint force design and future threat readiness.