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1 [1] (February 5, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govetlc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the Iegisl9tive debate s~nco 1914 Updated February 5, 2026 Defense Primer: U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM, commonly referred to as INDOPACOM) is one of 11 unified combatant commands in the Department of Defense (DOD, which is using a secondary Department of War designation, under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025). The commander of INDOPACOM exercises authority over military forces assigned to the command's area of responsibility (AOR), which includes the Pacific Ocean and about half of the Indian Ocean, as well as countries along their coastlines. Approximately 375,000 military and civilian personnel are assigned to its AOR. Congress may consider whether DOD's budget, posture, and regional strategy supports U.S. national security interests in the Indo-Pacific. Mission and Or an zat on The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) directs DOD to maintain a favorable balance of military power in the Indo- Pacific, ensuring that neither China nor anyone else can dominate us or our allies. The document directs DOD to do so through strength, not confrontation, by expanding military-to-military communications with China, erecting a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain, and encouraging regional allies and partners to do more for our collective defense. As of September 2025, most of the active-duty U.S. servicemembers assigned to locations in the INDOPACOM AOR were based in Japan (53,490), Hawaii (45,528), South Korea (23,642), and Guam (6,986). DOD operates or has access to over 40 military sites in the region. U.S. forces based at these sites comprise ground units (including the Army's 2nd Infantry Division and the Marine Corps' III Marine Expeditionary Force), naval warships (including an aircraft carrier, destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious assault ships), and aircraft (including rotary-wing, fighter, electronic attack, bomber, airlift, and tanker units). INDOPACOM is headquartered outside of Honolulu, Hawaii, and commanded by a four-star general or flag officer. To date, all commanders have been Navy admirals; the current commander is Admiral Samuel Paparo. INDOPACOM encompasses five subordinate service component commands (U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, and U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific) and three subordinate unified commands (U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. Forces Korea, and Special Operations Command Pacific). INDOPACOM routinely participates in multinational exercises and other security cooperation activities with regional partners. Focal Points in the LN OPACOM AOR INDOPACOM plans for contingencies throughout the AOR. The following hotspots could for various reasons implicate U.S. national security and military forces. Taiwan. The People's Republic of China (PRC) claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and has long vowed to unify with it, by force if necessary. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA; P.L. 96-8; 22 U.S.C. §3301) states that it is U.S. policy to maintain the capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize Taiwan's security. The TRA does not require the United States to use force to defend Taiwan, but DOD officials have referred to a conflict in the Taiwan Strait as the pacing scenario for which DOD is preparing. As such, DOD has taken steps toward modernizing [its] capabilities, updating U.S. force posture, and developing new operational concepts, in addition to maintaining long- standing efforts to bolster Taiwan's defensive capabilities. Korean Peninsula. Perceived threats from North Korea traditionally have served as the raison d'8tre for the U.S.- South Korea alliance since 1953, when the two countries signed a Mutual Defense Treaty at the end of the Korean War. As North Korea advances its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, the United States faces a number of challenges: enhancing alliance preparedness without triggering a military conflict, reinforcing the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence (or nuclear umbrella), and preparing for the eventual transfer of wartime operational control of alliance forces from a U.S. commander to a South Korean commander. Some analysts have suggested that North Korea-with improving military capabilities and seemingly closer relations with Russia and China-may seek to engage in military provocations against United States or South Korea. South China Sea. Multiple Asian governments claim sovereignty over islands and other geographic features in the South China Sea, one of the world's most heavily trafficked waterways. The PRC, which claims most of the sea, has conducted land reclamation (island-building), constructed military facilities on natural and artificial features, and used coercive tactics to impede the activities of other countries, including the Philippines, a U.S. mutual defense treaty ally. Successive U.S. Administrations have accused the PRC of deploying its military vessels and aircraft in an unsafe and unprofessional manner against U.S. and other militaries operating in the South China Sea.