During 21st Century, the term “National Security” has been redefined to include the non-traditional security challenges in addition to external military threats. The security and stability of any nation-state is dependent on a host of internal and external factors, such as economy, industrialization, literacy, size and quality of population, available national resources and military capability. Poor economic conditions lead to dissatisfaction which can then be exploited to create is harmony among the populace. Lower levels of literacy, when combined with poor economic conditions, can become a hot bed for terrorism. Weak national institutions lead to poor policy formulation and loss of trust in the government. External environments such as geographic location, unresolved disputes with neighbouring countries, regional alliances and big power interests also play an import role on a country’s security and stability.

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Emerging Geopolitical Alliances and Implications for Pakistan
The year 2025 has dramatically reshaped global and regional geopolitics through a series of crises: the India–Pakistan war, the Israel–Iran confrontation, and renewed instability on the Pakistan–Afghanistan border.
Pakistan in 2025
As 2025 draws to a close in few days, it is time to reflect back on the chain of events that have shaped the year. Apart from the typical highs and lows – the year saw some unprecedented events that will have a lasting imprint.
Cognitive Dominance in Air Power Employment: From Machines to Minds
In contemporary air warfare, there is a silent battle that begins long before the first missile is fired: the battle of the mind. The Indo-Pakistan conflict of 2025 reaffirmed this truth. In that short but decisive engagement, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) demonstrated that in modern warfare, victory is no longer about airframes destroyed but in the mastery of cognition, which is the ability to think faster, act smarter and control perception under stress. To make victory second nature, institutionalisation of cognitive gains through AI, cross-domain integration and leadership development is paramount for modern air forces.

