The Department of War restored the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) as the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).
USPACOM was established in 1947 under President Harry Truman. “Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific,” USPACOM said in a statement. “From its critical role in establishing the post-WWII regional security architecture to its coordination of joint forces during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless humanitarian operations, the USPACOM namesake carries decades of military heritage and enduring regional partnerships.”
The command’s responsibility remains the same, the statement notes. Its “fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged.”
India’s former foreign secretary and Ambassador to Washington, Nirupama Rao, asked on X if “Washington still sees India as a co-architect of regional order or simply as one useful actor among many in advancing American objectives.”
Citing various areas that she believes are signaling decaying trust, such as “cooler optics” at the G7 conference, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concerns of a “global shortage of trust,” and the “deaths of Indian sailors and the sharp exchange with Rubio,” among others, Rao said the actions “suggest that the exuberant phase of India-US relations may be ending.”
“The relationship is becoming more normal, more transactional, and perhaps more difficult,” she wrote.
USPACOM was renamed to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in 2018. Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis said at the renaming ceremony that the name recognizes the “increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.”
“Over many decades this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstances and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west,” he said at the time.
