The United States has officially restored the name of its major military command in the Asia-Pacific region from the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), reversing a decision taken in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term. The US Department of Defense announced the change on Tuesday, stating that the move is intended to honour the command’s long-standing history and legacy dating back to its establishment in 1947 by then-President Harry S. Truman.
According to the Pentagon, the command operated under the USPACOM designation for more than seven decades and remains the oldest and largest of America’s unified combatant commands. Officials said restoring the original name reflects the command’s historical role in shaping the post-World War II security architecture in the region and overseeing major military operations, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and numerous humanitarian missions.
Despite the name change, the command’s area of responsibility remains unchanged. It continues to oversee a vast region stretching from the western coast of the United States to India’s western border, covering a significant portion of the Pacific and Asian theatres. The Department of Defense emphasized that the command’s mission and commitment to maintaining regional stability, security partnerships, and a free and open Pacific region will remain the same.
The Indo-Pacific designation was adopted in 2018 to reflect the growing strategic and economic interconnectedness of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. At the time, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis described the region as extending “from Bollywood to Hollywood, and from penguins to polar bears,” highlighting its importance to US national security strategy. The latest decision signals a return to the command’s historic identity while maintaining its current operational responsibilities and strategic objectives.
