Musharraf Refines Nuclear Control Structure

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued rules yesterday to clarify that he is in charge of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for command and control of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, the Press Trust of India reported (see GSN, Dec. 11).

Previous rules identified the “head of the government” or the prime minister as NCA chairman, but Musharraf’s latest edict specifically gives that role to the president, according to the Press Trust.

Other members of the authority include the foreign minister, the defense minister, the interior minister, the three service chiefs, the chairman of the joint staffs committee and the director general of the Strategic Plans Division.

The authority was established in 2000 to address growing concerns that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could be at risk of terrorist theft (Press Trust of India, Dec. 13).

Such concerns have grown in recent years, triggered by Pakistani difficulty in constraining al-Qaeda activity in Afghan-Pakistani border regions and by failed assassination attempts against Musharraf, said two nuclear experts writing in Arms Control Today.

Nevertheless, they conclude that the command authority has worked well to improve control over Pakistan’s arsenal.

“Although the concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear security during the current political crisis raised questions about the adequacy of the system, there have not been any examples to date of systemic failure,” says the article by Kenneth Luongo and Naeem Salik.  Luongo is executive director of the Partnership for Global Security and Salik is a former Pakistani general who served on the National Command Authority’s staff.  “In fact, the weapons and facilities have been secure throughout the crisis, providing a measure of assurance that the last decade’s improvements are working.”

“These actions should build confidence in the international community that the Pakistani government is very serious about nuclear security and reducing the possibilities for proliferation.  The evolution of this security system will need to continue well into the future, but a substantial foundation now exists on which these future improvements can be built,” they add (Luongo/Salik, Arms Control Today, Dec. 2007).

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