Talat Masood

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant General

| name = Talat Masood

| honorific_suffix = HI(M) SBt

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| birth_name = Talat Masood

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| nickname = Gen. Masood

| birth_date = 1928

| birth_place = Hyderabad Deccan, British India (present-day India)

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| allegiance = Pakistan

| branch = Pakistan Army

| serviceyears = 1950 - 1990

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| rank = Lt. Gen.

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| servicenumber = PA No.–3894{{rp|10}}{{cite book|title=The Gazette of Pakistan|date=1980|publisher=Govt. of Pakistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kLxPAQAAMAAJ&q=talat+masood|access-date=12 November 2017|language=en}}

| unit = Pakistan Army Corps of EME

| commands = {{ubl|Federal Secretary to MoDP|Chairman POF|Heavy Industries Taxila|}}

| battles_label =

| battles = {{ubl|Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Indo-Pakistani War of 1971}}

| awards = {{ubl|Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)|Sitara-e-Basalat|}}

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| laterwork = {{ubl|Columnist| Political Commentator}}

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Talat Masood {{small|HI(M) SBt}}{{rp|1–9}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pdBUg7_ZjKkC&q=talat++ |title=Hilāl |date=1986 |publisher=Inṭar Sarvisiz Pablik Releshanz Dāʻirikṭreṭ. |language=ur |access-date=12 November 2017}} (Urdu: طلعت مسعُود) is a retired three-star rank army general, a political commentator, and a mechanical engineer.{{cite web|title=Lt. Gen (R) Talat Masood|url=http://www.pakistanherald.com/profile/lt-gen-r-talat-masood-187#|website=Pakistan Herald|access-date=11 November 2017}}

His career in the military spent in the Pakistan Army Corps of EME as an engineering officer and also served as the Federal Secretary{{clarify|date=January 2018}} at the Ministry of Defence Production of Government of Pakistan.{{cite web|title=Lt.-Gen. (Ret.) Talat Masood|url=https://www.globalzero.org/our-movement/leaders/lt-gen-ret-talat-masood|website=Global Zero|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}} He is noted for his analysis on the global national security, economic stability, and often consults on politics on the national and international media networks.{{cite web|title=Lieutenant General Talat Masood - Jamestown|url=https://jamestown.org/analyst/lieutenant-general-talat-masood/|website=Jamestown|access-date=11 November 2017}}

Biography

Talat Masood was born to a noble and highly educated Urdu speaking family of Hyderabad Deccan. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy, and was educated at the Military College of Engineering where he graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.{{rp|contents}}{{cite book|last1=Lodgaard|first1=Sverre|last2=Maerli|first2=Bremer|title=Nuclear Proliferation and International Security|date=2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134110001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tqp8AgAAQBAJ&dq=Talat+Masood+mechanical+engineering&pg=PT10|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}}

In 1951, he gained commission in the Corps of EME, where his career in the army is mostly spent.{{cite web|title=Profiles: International Conference on Civil-Military Relations|url=http://www.pildat.org/events/08-10-22/profiles.asp|website=www.pildat.org|publisher=PILDAT|access-date=11 November 2017}}{{Citation

| last =ICCMR

| first=International Conference on Civil Military Relations

| author-link =

| title =See:Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Talat Masood, Former Federal Secretary

| date =1990

| url =http://www.pildat.org/events/08-10-22/profiles.asp

| access-date = 1 June 2010}}

In 1951–54, 2nd-Lt. Masood was one of the few army officers who were sent to the United Kingdom to attend the Loughborough University where he did the post-graduate studies.{{rp|365}} He gained M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Loughborough University and joined the Pakistan Ordnance Factories for evaluation of fire arms and weapons accuracy.{{rp|365}}{{cite book|last1=Development|first1=Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial|title=The vitality of India|date=2004|publisher=Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development|location=New Delhi, India|isbn=9788185835471|pages=366|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jmkMAQAAMAAJ&q=+loughborough|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}}

He attended the Command and Staff College in Quetta where he qualified as a psc, and later went attended the National Defence University (NDU) where he gained MSc in defence studies.{{rp|10}}

He participated in the conflicts and wars with India in 1965 and in 1971, but his career mostly spent in the local defense production.{{rp|31}}{{cite book|last1=Copley|first1=Gregory R.|title=Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy|date=1989|publisher=Copley & Associates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VExAQAAIAAJ&q=talat+masood+DESTO|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}} About the aerial operations by PAF, Masood is of the view that: "The mobility, even the survivability of land forces depended to a large extent on air cover, so does the naval security. Superior air power is thus vital for any military engagement."{{rp|169}}{{cite book|last1=Siddiqa-Agha|first1=A.|title=Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99: In Search of a Policy|date=2001|publisher=Springer|location=London, Uk|isbn=9780230513525|pages=220|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=beJ8DAAAQBAJ&dq=talat+masood+1965+war&pg=PA169|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en|format=google books|chapter={{small|Arms procurement for the Air Force}}}}

In 1970s, he served as the chairman of the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), where he was involved in the design and development of the various military vehicles and the technology evaluation of the main battle tanks.{{rp|xviii}}{{cite book|last1=Farooq|first1=Nasra Talat|title=US-Pakistan Relations: Pakistan's Strategic Choices in the 1990s|date=2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317358497|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OUSTDAAAQBAJ&dq=talat+masood+NDU&pg=PR8|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}}

In 1980s, he was appointed as chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), where he is credited of bringing the fire-arm manufacturing organization to its peak of efficiency especially the manufacturing of the chemical explosives.{{rp|109}}{{cite book|last1=Cloughley|first1=Brian|title=War, Coups & Terror: Pakistan's Army in Years of Turmoil|date=2008|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|isbn=9781602396982|edition=2|url=https://archive.org/details/warcoupsterrorpa00clou|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/warcoupsterrorpa00clou/page/109 109]|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}}{{rp|contents}}{{cite book|last1=Cloughley|first1=Brian|title=A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections|date=2016|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9781631440397|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JE1kCwAAQBAJ&dq=talat+masood+Heavy+industries&pg=PT413|access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}} In 1988–89, he was involved in the technology transfer of the Mirage III at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, and witnessed the induction of the aircraft to the UAE Air Force.{{cite web|last1=Farooq, PAF|first1=AVM Umar|title=DGPAC Kamra – Air Vice Marshal (R) Farooq Umar|url=http://avmfarooqumar.com/?page_id=2391|website=avmfarooqumar.com|publisher=avm umar farooq|access-date=11 November 2017}}

In 1988, Lt-Gen. Masood joined the Benazir administration when he appointed as the secretary of defense production, which he served until he retired from his military service with the army in 1990.{{rp|x}}

Post-retirement activities

After his retirement in 1990, Masood became a political consultant to several important U.S. think tanks and technology firms.

He writes and opined regularly on political and security issues in English-language newspapers in Pakistan and foreign political correspondents.{{cite news|title=talat.masood, Author at The Express Tribune|url=https://tribune.com.pk/author/2914/talat-masood/|access-date=11 November 2017|work=The Express Tribune}} In November–December 1997, he was appointed as visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington DC in the United States where his research topic included the discussion and rational on "nuclear weapons issues in the subcontinent."{{cite web|title=South Asia Visiting Fellows Program|url=https://www.stimson.org/south-asia-visiting-fellows-program|website=Stimson Center|date=14 June 2012 |access-date=11 November 2017|language=en}}

Since 2013, Masood is on Council of Pugwash Conferences on World Affairs.{{cite web|title=Talat Masood|url=https://pugwash.org/2013/11/06/talat-masood/|website=Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs|access-date=11 November 2017|date=6 November 2013}}