The US Department of War has announced that its largest military command will revert to its original name, dropping the reference to the Indian Ocean. However, the move is unlikely to affect the Quad grouping, its maritime cooperation initiatives or plans to expand collaboration across several sectors.The US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially revert to its original name, the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), the Department of War announced on Tuesday. However, there will be no change in the nature of its operations or its area of responsibility, it said.India’s armed forces work closely with USPACOM, which is headquartered in Hawaii.The foreign ministers of the Quad — India, the US, Japan and Australia — met in New Delhi last month and discussed a range of issues. “These initiatives will continue,” an analyst said, adding that the Quad and the renaming of USPACOM are unrelated developments.The Quad is establishing the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) and expanding the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). The four countries are also developing a system that will generate a comprehensive Common Operating Picture (COP) at sea.India is set to host the second edition of the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission this year. The first edition was held off Guam, an American base in the Western Pacific. In addition, the Quad has been working on counterterrorism cooperation, launched a critical minerals initiative framework and committed itself to protecting undersea cables.The reversion to the original name comes eight years after the command was renamed the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2018, a largely symbolic move intended to underscore the growing importance of India in US strategic thinking. The change was announced during the first term of President Donald Trump. In May 2018, then US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the command “stretches from Bollywood to Hollywood”.USPACOM defines its area of responsibility as spanning from the waters off the west coast of the United States to the western border of India.The area of responsibility will remain unchanged despite the renaming, USPACOM said in a statement, adding that “the command’s fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a ‘free and open theatre’ alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged”.In strategic circles, the phrase ‘free and open theatre’ is euphemism for opposing Chinese hegemony and attempts to impede traffic at sea and in air.Notably, while announcing the 2018 renaming, Mattis had said: “In recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans, we rename the US Pacific Command to the US Indo-Pacific Command.”USPACOM was originally established after World War II on January 1, 1947, by then President Harry S Truman.Responding to the US decision to rename its military command, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor posted on X: “One more nail in the coffin of the Quad?.”