PACOM, the deeper meaning behind a dropped prefix
The U.S. military has renamed its Indo-Pacific Command back to Pacific Command, signaling a potential shift in strategic focus and a move away from the 'Indo-Pacific' terminology used since 2018. Analysts suggest this change reflects broader shifts in U.S. foreign policy, including a potential recalibration of relations with China and the Quad alliance.
Why it matters
The change in nomenclature suggests a significant pivot in U.S. geopolitical strategy, which could have long-term implications for India's regional security and diplomatic standing.
The decision by the United States military to change the name of its naval command in the region from “US INDOPACOM” to “US PACOM” — United States Indo-Pacific Command to United States Pacific Command — reverting to its original name that was changed in 2018 can be dismissed as superficial, even trivial. Many have already responded with the Shakespearean “What’s in a name?”, even as the U.S. Department of War pointed out that US PACOM’s area of responsibility, from “the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India” or what had once been described as “Hollywood to Bollywood, from polar bears to penguins”, has never changed. In 2018, U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said that the name INDOPACOM was a recognition of the “growing significance” of the Indian Ocean, the Indian subcontinent, and India itself, and the U.S. dropped the term “Asia-Pacific” to “Indo-Pacific”.
The article provides an analytical look at geopolitical shifts, acknowledging multiple interpretations of the name change.
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