US restores Pacific Command name, drops 'Indo' from military command designation

The United States has renamed its Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) back to the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), reversing a designation adopted in 2018 that reflected Washington's broader strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region and India's expanding role in regional security.

The Pentagon announced that the command, headquartered in Hawaii, will once again operate under the Pacific Command name, citing its historical legacy and longstanding military heritage.

Officials described the move as a restoration of the command's original identity rather than a change in its mission or geographical responsibilities.

The command was renamed as the US Indo-Pacific Command during the first Trump administration in 2018. At the time, then US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the change recognised the growing strategic significance of the Indian Ocean region and the importance of partnerships with countries such as India in maintaining regional stability.

The command remains the largest of America's unified combatant commands and oversees military operations across a vast area stretching from the western coast of the United States to the maritime boundary near India. Its area of responsibility includes the Pacific Ocean, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and parts of the Indian Ocean region.

The decision has attracted attention because the term "Indo-Pacific" has become central to US strategic policy over the past decade. The concept has been widely used by the United States, India, Japan and Australia to describe a connected strategic theatre spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans, particularly amid concerns over China's growing military and economic influence.

The renaming comes even as senior US officials have continued to describe India as a key partner in maintaining regional stability.

In recent months, American defence officials have repeatedly highlighted India's role in supporting a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening security cooperation in the region.

US officials have not indicated that the name change will affect existing military partnerships, strategic objectives or operational deployments. The command's responsibilities, force structure and geographic jurisdiction remain unchanged, according to the announcement.

Analysts are likely to scrutinise whether the move signals a broader shift in US strategic messaging or is primarily a symbolic return to a historic designation. For now, Washington has maintained that the change is intended to honour the command's legacy while preserving its current mission across the Asia-Pacific region.