What Does the US Pacific Command’s Decision to Remove ‘Indo’ from Its Name Mean?
June 24, Kathmandu. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has decided to remove the word ‘Indo’ from the name of its largest unified military command, raising questions about America’s commitment to India. On June 16, US officials announced the renaming of the ‘Indo-Pacific Command,’ describing the move as a gesture of ‘respect,’ ‘pride,’ and recognition of ‘historical roots.’ However, analysts believe New Delhi may interpret this as a clear sign that India’s place in Washington’s strategic priorities is diminishing. Christopher Clary, an associate professor of political science at the University at Albany, stated, “While the name change may provide an immediate morale boost, symbolically it causes significant damage to the relationship with the world’s most populous country.”
“This renaming is reckless. It is natural for critics to suspect that this move was taken to please China, which seems to align with the administration’s general approach to Asia policy,” he added. The term was originally designated in May 2018 “to acknowledge the growing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.” It was during the first term of President Donald Trump that then-Defense Secretary James Mattis, one of five secretaries during that period, made this declaration. Subsequently, Admiral Harry Harris, the 24th commander of the Pacific Command who has since retired, linked the 2018 renaming to the geostrategic competition between “free and repressive perspectives in the Indo-Pacific region.”
However, according to Clary, eight years later, the removal of ‘Indo’ appears to lack any clear justification aside from “some unclear desire to highlight past glories.” Despite the ‘unnecessary hurt’ this causes superficially, Pentagon officials emphasize that the change is largely administrative. The area of responsibility for PACOM, which spans from the US West Coast to India, remains unchanged. Nevertheless, deleting ‘Indo’ from the command’s title occurs amid a sensitive phase in US-India relations.
The relationship between the two countries is already under strain due to customs disputes, deadly attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, and New Delhi’s energy ties with Moscow. Derek Grossman, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California, notes that Trump has consistently indicated that India will no longer hold as prominent a role as before. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Grossman observed, “Since last year, Trump has shown a willingness to take serious risks toward a strained relationship with India in pursuit of other objectives.”
According to Grossman, the US president withdrew from the Quad summit held in India last year, leaving Delhi in a difficult position. Additionally, Trump has reportedly sought credit for brokering a ceasefire in last year’s brief conflict between India and Pakistan while increasing pressure on the Modi government regarding Russian oil imports. During his second term, Trump has also strengthened ties with Pakistan, which India views as a state sponsor of terrorism. Clary, commenting recently, described US-India relations as being in their “worst state ever” and expressed hope that relations might improve with Sergio Gorr appointed as the new US ambassador to India in January. Nonetheless, he remarked, “The US continues to inflict unnecessary wounds on its relationship with New Delhi.”
Last Friday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stated that the name change of PACOM was being “seriously considered.” Shruti Pandel, head of India studies at the Australian Lowy Institute think tank, described the move as largely symbolic. According to her, the primary focus of the US military budget remains on China, and current military plans indicate that the significance of the Indo-Pacific will not diminish, which offers some relief to New Delhi. However, she warned that this could jeopardize the decades-long trust-building process and foster negative sentiments toward Washington in India. Meanwhile, Troy Lee-Brown, a research fellow at the Defence and Security Institute at the University of Western Australia, noted that the command’s mission remains unchanged and cautioned against interpreting the change as a major shift in US strategy. He added, “It will be interesting to see whether the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ continues to appear in key strategic documents.”
Established in 1947 and headquartered in Hawaii, PACOM oversees half of all US armed forces worldwide, covering an area stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern Indian Ocean region.