Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic Enabler

The seminar “Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic Enabler”, organised by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Lahore, brought together senior military practitioners, diplomats and scholars to examine the expanding role of military diplomacy in contemporary statecraft, with particular emphasis on the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The deliberations explored how armed forces employ non-combat instruments to advance national strategy, shape perceptions, build durable partnerships and enhance deterrence in an increasingly complex and interconnected security environment. Through doctrinal reflection, operational case studies and institutional analysis, the seminar assessed military diplomacy as an integral component of Pakistan’s broader foreign-policy toolkit.

 

In his opening remarks, Air Marshal Irfan Ahmad (Retd) situated military diplomacy within both classical and contemporary strategic thought, underscoring that the deliberate employment of military assets for confidence-building, humanitarian assistance, training exchanges and defence cooperation is neither contradictory nor novel, but a long-established extension of statecraft. He highlighted air power’s intrinsic attributes of speed, reach and visibility, arguing that these characteristics make it a particularly effective instrument for rapid humanitarian response, interoperability with partners and strategic signalling short of conflict.

 

Ambassador Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry articulated a clear conceptual framework explaining how military diplomacy advances foreign-policy objectives. He distinguished military diplomacy as a method rather than a policy, identifying five principal avenues: high-level military dialogues, joint exercises, training exchanges, officer deputations and defence trade. Each, he argued, contributes to expanding Pakistan’s diplomatic space, strengthening deterrence and fostering sustained trust with partner states. Emphasising prudence, he stressed that military diplomacy must be applied in a calibrated, case-specific manner and should complement, rather than substitute, traditional diplomatic, economic and cultural instruments of statecraft. He also drew attention to evolving regional perceptions and recent shifts in engagement patterns, noting that Pakistan’s enhanced operational credibility has positively influenced its diplomatic standing and widened its foreign-policy options.

 

The seminar’s analytical and policy-oriented core was provided by Air Vice Marshal Dr Liaquat Ullah Iqbal, who presented the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP) as a flagship national initiative underpinning technological sovereignty and military diplomacy. NASTP was described as a deliberately national, rather than service-centric, platform designed to integrate academia, industry and government across priority technology clusters, including aerospace, drones, artificial intelligence, robotics and semiconductors. Its rapid institutionalisation, multi-site architecture, incubation and certification pipelines, engagement with the private sector and diaspora, and emerging export outcomes were advanced as evidence that indigenous technological capacity strengthens military diplomacy by positioning Pakistan as a credible partner and contributor rather than a dependent consumer.

 

Air Marshal Abdul Moeed Khan (Retd) examined military diplomacy through the lens of operational experience, tracing the PAF’s historical contributions to regional air forces, UN missions and multinational exercises. He highlighted the post-2021 doctrinal transformation of the PAF from a predominantly fighter-centric service into a multi-domain, integrated air power. Central to his analysis was the military-to-strategic effect chain, presence, engagement, trust, interoperability, access and influence, through which tactical professionalism translates into strategic impact. He argued that Pakistan’s recent operational performance, culminating in Marka-e-Haq, reasserted the PAF’s relevance and generated strategic surprise by integrating doctrine, training and innovative employment of indigenous capabilities, thereby reinforcing deterrence and international credibility.

 

In his concluding remarks, Air Marshal Asim Suleiman (Retd), President CASS Lahore, observed that Zarb-e-Karrar represented a defining moment in Pakistan’s military diplomacy. He argued that the exercise demonstrated the PAF’s disciplined professionalism and multi-domain competence, thereby reshaping Pakistan’s strategic influence and external perceptions. Highlighting the leadership of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, he noted that under his command the PAF consolidated its technological edge, deepened defence partnerships, and broadened its global diplomatic engagement. According to Air Marshal Suleiman, these developments elevated Pakistan’s standing as a credible and responsible middle power. He concluded that Zarb-e-Karrar illustrated how military capability, when aligned with strategic vision, can function as an effective instrument of contemporary diplomacy.