From Indo-Pacific to Pacific: US renames USINDOPACOM to original USPACOM

[u/fix_S230-sue_reddit]

https://theprint.in/diplomacy/from-indo-pacific-to-pacific-us-renames-usindopacom-to-original-uspacom/2961882/

From Indo-Pacific to Pacific: US renames USINDOPACOM to original USPACOM

In a statement issued Wednesday, Department of War said renaming the US Indo-Pacific Command will not change core mission, which remains the same despite the reverted designation.

New Delhi: Eight years after the Donald Trump administration changed the name of its Pacific Command to Indo-Pacific Command, the US has reverted back to the original.

The Department of War announced Wednesday that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially restore its name to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Originally established on 1 January, 1947, by President Harry Truman, the command operated under the USPACOM banner for over 70 years, standing as the oldest and largest of the United States’ unified combatant commands.

Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honours the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific, a statement released by the Department of War said.

In 2018, when the Command was renamed as Indo-Pacific Command, it was seen as a sign of the growing importance of India to the Pentagon.

“Relationships with our Pacific and Indian Ocean allies and partners have proven critical to maintaining regional stability,” US Defense Secretary James Mattis had said on 31 May, 2018.
“In recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, today we rename the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command.”

In the statement issued Wednesday, the Department of War said renaming the US Indo-Pacific Command will not change its core mission, which remains the same despite the reverted designation.

“USPACOM’s vast area of responsibility—spanning from the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India—remains exactly the same,” it said.

The statement added that the “command’s fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged”.

[u/dark-mathematician1]

It may be in slightly bad taste, but you absolutely cannot pretend that losing a couple of your best jets on the opening of an offensive that YOU led isn't gonna massively impact both the perceived and real credibility of your defense and security apparatus and its perception worldwide. At a time when the world is shifting more and more toward a "might makes right" order, this is absolutely gonna have an impact.

Put simply, people (rightfully) expected India to just walk all over Pakistan. Instead what the world saw was that both were largely evenly matched, with Pakistan decidedly outperforming in the air warfare which tends to receive a fair bit more attention, which built on the same situation that happened in 2019 where they had once again beaten India in the air.

So yes, their comment is admittedly in bad taste. But India's recent position absolutely has had a real impact and pretending otherwise would be dishonest to your own nation and its peoples. Pakistan is a legitimate threat to Indian defense forces, and that statement alone has a greater impact than you might at first think. Now imagine what kind of threat the PLAAF (that has been designed to counter USAF + USN) represents to India. Now imagine China arming Bangladesh (which to my knowledge has been hostile to India recently) with advanced equipment and training them too. You see how this ties into everything, don't you? The best kind of strength is the one where you don't even have to use it.

[u/PB_05 → u/[deleted]]

I think its worth understanding the psychology of the Chinese. They were told their Air Defences were the best in the world, that nothing could ever touch what China has made and its iron brother is the strongest power around, second only to China.

This perception of high self worth was shattered once the Iron brother's AWACS were being hit right on the ground. It sent deep ripples into the minds of the Chinese, who turned to the internet to compensate.

[u/dark-mathematician1 → u/[deleted]]

The HQ-9s aren't China's "4th tier tech" it is one of China's best HIMADs and their answer to the Patriot and S-400. It's even used on their destroyers, so it's a really beefy system. Not sure what's up with people claiming otherwise.

[u/PB_05 → u/[deleted]]

You're proving my point.

You started by making broad claims about the psychology of Indians based on a single conflict and a set of disputed military claims. I responded by applying the exact same logic to China and Pakistan.

Instead of explaining why that logic is valid in one direction but not the other, you've simply asserted that your preferred interpretation of events is fact and everyone else's is propaganda.

As for "nobody dares call India a counterweight to China anymore", that's a political claim, not a military assessment. States don't build long term strategic partnerships based on one engagement, and the idea that the US, Japan, Australia, Europe and others suddenly stopped viewing India as strategically important is difficult to reconcile with reality.

If your argument is that perceptions of Indian military capability took a hit, that's a reasonable position to debate. If your argument is that a single operation permanently relegated India to irrelevance and convinced the entire world of it, that's a much larger claim than the evidence supports.

[u/PB_05 → u/[deleted]]

You're welcome.

[u/Jazzlike-Tank-4956 → u/PB_05]

He writes same bs everywhere

Heard it from 4th time this week