Pentagon salutes U.S.-India ties with command name change
The Pentagon is changing the name of the U.S. military’s Pacific headquarters to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in a bow to America’s growing connection to India and its expanding security role in the region.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is formally announcing the name change during a ceremony marking a leadership handover at the command. U.S. Navy Adm. Philip Davidson is taking over PACOM from Adm. Harry Harris, who has been nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
The change is largely symbolic in nature. It carries no fundamental shifts in troops, military missions or other Pentagon activities. Instead, Mattis says, it’s a recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
The U.S. and India have been forging stronger security ties in recent years. AP