The U.S. military on Wednesday renamed its Pacific Command the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in a largely symbolic move underscoring the growing importance of India to the Pentagon, U.S. officials said.
U.S. Pacific Command, which is responsible for all U.S. military activity in the greater Pacific region, has about 375,000 civilian and military personnel assigned to its area of responsibility, which includes India.
While just a terminology change, maybe with India more openly acknowledged the U.S. Army will be considered more of a part of planning in the region.
The old command was called PACOM. But no word on what the acronym will be for the new command name. It will probably be INPACOM.
I'd give good money for it to be PAINCOM.
UPDATE: Secretary Mattis' comments on the name change. No word on the official acronym.
I have to believe Mattis would approve of PAINCOM.
UPDATE: Sigh. It is INDOPACOM. I'm deeply disappointed.
UPDATE: The Fisher Solution is very related to PAINCOM in highlighting the linked theater that the Indian and Pacific Oceans represent.
UPDATE: In 2011 and 2012, I was talking about Australia as the pivot point in a theater that spanned the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
