Talat Masood
| Talat Massod | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | General Talat |
| Allegiance |
 Pakistan |
| Service/branch |
 Pakistan Army |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineerings (EME) |
| Commands held |
Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineerings (EME) GHQ Grade 2 and Grade 1 Officer Commanding Officer 80 EME Battalion, Colonel Admin 2 Corps Chairman POF Board Secretary Defense Production |
| Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 |
| Awards |
Hilal-i-Imtiaz (military) Sitara-i-Basalat |
| Other work | Columnist, Commentator |
Lieutenant General Talat Masood (HI(M), SI(B)) is a now-retired three-star general and officer in the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME). Masood is a "Grade-A" graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta and the National Defence University of the Armed Forces. General Masood has a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a Master's in defence and strategic studies.
Military career
Masood is a military engineer who has played a major role in the engineering projects of Pakistan Army. Talat Masood joined Pakistan Army in 1950 and two years later, he was inducted into the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineerings. He was sent to the Engineering University at Lahore where he received his Bachelors in Engineering BSc, and a diploma from the University of Loughborough. He attended several courses on military equipment from US, UK and China.[1] He was responsible for the development and subsequently management of several defense related projects. He then attended the National Defence University, Islamabad and completed his Master's degree in Strategic studies in 1957. He was the Chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Board and later became the Secretary Defense Production in the Ministry of Defense. He remained associated with Pakistan Army's military project until he retired from the army. Talat participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 with 6 Armoured Division and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where he served in the Indo-Pak front. After Pakistan's defeat at the hands of India in the 1971 war, Talat Masood was posted to armoured formation, and also served in the Military Secretary's Branch at GHQ and as Chief Instructor at the College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering. In 1977, Masood was promoted and posted to Pakistan Ordnance Factories as Director of Projects where he was responsible for setting up new factories and establishing several projects. In 1979 Talat Masood promoted Major General and in 1981 was appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories. . Lt. Gen. Masood was chairman and chief executive of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Board, where he oversaw the modernization and expansion of defense complex. New military technologies were introduced and many new factories were built and production lines were set up. He retired from the Pakistan Army in 1990.
Post-retirement activities
After his retirement, he writes on issues of security, political, and strategic issues in national newspapers and foreign magazines and was a prominent commentator on national and international television and radio networks. He served as a Secretary for Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence (Pakistan).
After his retirement Talat Masood became a consultant to several leading US and global defence and technology firms. In his capacity as Chairman Pakistan Ordnance Board and Secretary Defense Production signed several MOU's and contracts for technology transfer procurement of military and industrial equipment from US, Europe and China. He was a visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. from November–December 1997. He is on the Council of Pugwash Conferences on World Affairs, the Nobel Prize winning NGO. He regularly contributes to national and foreign newspapers and magazines on defense and strategic affairs and is a well known commentator on foreign and international media.
Notes
- ↑ ICCMR, International Conference on Civil Military Relations (July 1988 – October 1990), See:Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Talat Masood, Former Federal Secretary, retrieved 2010
