Fueled by contentious accusations and long-standing international concerns, the topic of who controls Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has reappeared amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan and claims of possible nuclear escalation.
According to a recently circulated assertion made by former CIA official John Kiriakou, an American general is currently in charge of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. According to Kiriakou, a former whistleblower who served in Pakistan in the early 2000s, the Pakistani government has put its nuclear arsenal under U.S. supervision.
This claim, however, is unsupported by official or independent verification and should be considered in light of Kiriakou’s contentious past and the dearth of supporting data from reliable sources.
Officially, Pakistan’s military has a well-established command structure and is in charge of its nuclear weapons. The Pakistan Army’s covert Strategic Plans Division (SPD) is in charge of the nuclear arsenal’s deployment and operational security.
The National Command Authority (NCA), which is led by the prime minister and consists of both senior military and civilian authorities, is where the SPD functions. The purpose of this arrangement is to prohibit unauthorized use and provide strict Pakistani control.
Although it is extremely concerned about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, particularly in the event of internal unrest, terrorist threats, or state disintegration, the United States does not directly oversee the arsenal. In order to secure Pakistani nuclear weapons in the case of a crisis, several US administrations have created backup plans, commonly known as “snatch-and-grab” operations.
Although the existence of these plans is well known, there is no proof that they have ever been implemented or that US soldiers have operational control of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities in real time. These plans are still classified as highly classified.
The expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear and long-range missile capabilities has raised American concerns in recent years; US authorities have recently referred to Pakistan as a “emerging threat” because of its development of missiles that might potentially reach the US mainland. Sanctions and further diplomatic pressure have resulted from this, but there has been no official or unofficial handover of control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons to the United States.
Officially, Pakistan’s military and civilian government, not any outside force, controls the country’s nuclear button.
Claims of direct American influence are unsupported by independent or government sources and are not proven.
Although the US does not have direct command or control over Pakistani nuclear weapons, it does have backup measures to protect them in an emergency.
The operational reality is still firmly in Pakistani hands, at least for the time being, despite the persistent international concerns reflected in the discussion about Pakistan’s nuclear command and the threat of US action.
