US reverts Pacific military command name to USPACOM

The United States announced that its primary military command in Asia, currently known as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), will officially revert to its previous name, U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM). This decision effectively undoes a change implemented in 2018 during the first term of President Donald Trump.

According to a Pentagon statement, the reversion aims to honor the organization's historical legacy. Established on January 1, 1947, by President Harry S. Truman, USPACOM is recognized as the oldest and one of the largest unified combatant commands within the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Department of Defense emphasized that the name change is purely nominal. It will not affect the command's mission, its area of responsibility, which spans from the U.S. West Coast to the western border of India, encompassing vast regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and parts of South Asia, nor its operational scope.

The Pentagon highlighted that the USPACOM designation is associated with "decades of cooperation with regional allies" and U.S. involvement in significant conflicts and humanitarian operations. The 2018 renaming to Indo-Pacific Command, spearheaded by then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis, was intended to reflect the growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean and India itself within the U.S. security framework for the region.

Despite the return to the former name, the Pentagon affirmed that the command's commitment to a "free and open" region remains unchanged. It will continue to work collaboratively with allies and partners in this critical geopolitical area.