Pentagon drops ‘Indo’ from US Pacific Command name. What it may mean for India

The US administration's decision to revert its oldest and largest military command's name from the Indo-Pacific Command to the Pacific Command has ignited concerns in New Delhi regarding Washington's commitment to the Indo-Pacific concept and the Quad grouping, which includes India.

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The US administration’s decision to rename its oldest and largest military command from the Indo-Pacific Command to the earlier Pacific Command amid a rebalancing of ties with China has raised questions in New Delhi about Washington’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific concept and the Quad grouping that includes India.

The announcement came just hours before a planned meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. This timing, coupled with a recent US Navy attack on a merchant vessel off Oman that resulted in the deaths of three Indian seafarers, has cast a shadow over India-US relations.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he spoke of a "return to realism" in the Pacific and a "new course for our alliances and partnerships" based on "realities of power and interests," also precedes this nomenclature change. The US Department of Defense stated the renaming honors the command's historical roots, while its area of responsibility remains unchanged, extending from the waters off the US west coast to India's western border.

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The US defence department announced on Wednesday that the Indo-Pacific Command will “officially restore its name to the US Pacific Command” to honour the formation’s historical roots, though its area of responsibility – from the waters off the US’s west coast to India’s western border – will remain the same.

Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash voiced strong criticism, calling the US move indicative of "unreliable and poorly thought through" policies that "border on deceit and deception." He remarked, "At the time when [the command’s name was changed in 2018], it was set up as a major step. Now their interests have changed and they’ve changed their policy." Prakash, who has been critical of recent US attacks on merchant vessels with Indian crew members, suggested the Indo-Pacific Command name was a US ploy to "draw India into the net of whatever they were planning."

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The US move only reflected how “unreliable and poorly thought through” Washington’s policies are, and “borders on deceit and deception”.

He noted that Indian diplomats had been hesitant to adopt the "too broad" Indo-Pacific designation, although the navy had complied, seeing it as a reflection of conjoined oceans and overlapping interests. The original change to Indo-Pacific Command eight years prior, under then-US Defense Secretary James Mattis, was seen as acknowledging India's growing regional security role and countering China's influence. Experts had previously interpreted the shift to Indo-Pacific as part of US efforts to engage India more deeply in regional security architecture.

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At the time when [the command’s name was changed in 2018], it was set up as a major step. Now their interests have changed and they’ve changed their policy.