WASHINGTON — After eight years as US Indo-Pacific Command, the Pentagon has announced it is restoring the original name to simply Pacific Command (PACOM).
The department posted a short notice on social media Tuesday night saying the “border delineation of the combatant command will remain the same” — an area of responsibility that spans the waters off the US West Coast to India’s western border.
A separate PACOM press release noted that the command, currently led by Adm. Samuel Paparo, remains committed to its “fundamental mission” of “maintaining a free and open theater” alongside partners and allies.
“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,” PACOM added.
The move comes just eight years after Defense Secretary James Mattis, then serving under the first Trump administration, oversaw the name change to INDOPACOM. At the time, Mattis said the change was done as part of a “recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans.”
“Over many decades, this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstance and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west,” he said in May 2018. Mattis resigned later that year over policy differences with the Trump administration, including whether to withdraw troops from Syria.
This week’s PACOM rechristening follows a series of other name changes inside the department under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Over the past year-and-a-half, he has restored the names of several Army bases that originally honored Confederate leaders and unofficially changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, a change that may soon be codified into law by Congress.
Department leaders have also been weighing a complete overhaul of the command structure that could ultimately lead to combatant commands combining.
