The Pakistan Defense Forces (پاک مُسَلّح افواج) are the military forces for the defense of Pakistan. They are the seventh largest in the world. The armed forces comprise three main segments:
The Pakistan Army is the best organized group in the country and is highly respected in civil society and the social ranks as an institution. Since the founding of Pakistan, the army has been key in holding the state together, promoting a feeling of nationhood and providing a bastion of selfless service.
Pakistan Defense Forces are the largest contributors to United Nations peace-keeping efforts in the world, with more than 10,000 personnel deployed in 2007. Other foreign deployments have consisted of Pakistani military personnel as advisers in African and Arab countries.