US drops 'Indo' from Pacific Command name, reverts to original designation

The US has renamed the Indo-Pacific Command back to the Pacific Command. The move restores the command's historic identity while keeping its mission and area of responsibility unchanged.

In Short

• The command was first established by President Harry S Truman in 1947
• It operated as USPACOM for over 70 years before 2018 rebranding
• Jim Mattis announced the earlier change during a 2018 ceremony

The United States Department of War has announced that the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially revert to its original designation — the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), restoring the name under which the military command operated for more than seven decades.

The move reverses a symbolic but strategically significant change introduced in 2018, when then US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis redesignated the command as the US Indo-Pacific Command to reflect what Washington described at the time as the growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region and its increasing integration with Pacific security dynamics.

Announcing the latest decision, the Department of War said the restoration of the original name is intended to honour the command’s historical identity and institutional legacy.

- Ends