Air chief marshal (abbreviated as Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a four-star commissioned

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth of Natio ...

rank and title officially used to denote supreme commander in the Pakistan Air Force for command and control. It is bestowed and commissioned by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to a three-star air marshal officer, and while it is officially described as the highest rank in

uniformed services Uniformed services is an abstract term that are generally bodies of people in employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the public and private sector. Their purpose is to foster the equality, security, saf ...

of Pakistan, it is equivalent to the rank of

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. Since it is purposely designed to make a position advancement from three-star to a four-star rank, it ranks above the Air marshal and below Marshal of the air force, although "marshal of the air force" rank is currently not held by any military leader in Pakistan. However, a four-star air chief marshal falls under the

Field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

rank of army which is a distinct one from the air force's ranking system. The four-star air chief marshal helds the chief of air staff in the country once it is decorated with a five-star

insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

. Air chief marshal can be referred to four-star air marshal with a country-specific unofficial abbreviation "Air Chf MshlPAF" or "ACMPAF" to distinguish it from the corresponding rank of Air chief marshal used in other countries, sovereign states, or dependent territories identified with their own country codes.

Appointment

A four-star air marshal is directly appointed or promoted by the President of Pakistan, however appointment with position advancement recommendations are made by the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

under the air force article 243 and "Air Force Act, 1953" of the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

. The corresponding position advancement such as appointing to the "chief of the air staff" is done accordingly. An air chief marshal age is set to 64 (maximum) under the influence of article 243 as described by the Law of Pakistan. Once the tenure of ACM is decided or enforced by the president in a joint effort with the prime minister, air chief marshal helds the command and control of air force. However, article 243 is not applicable to a four-star air chief marshal during his tenure at Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

References

{{Pakistan Armed Forces Pakistan Air Force ranks Pakistan Air Force Air force ranks