INDOPACATASTROPHE

In Memoriam

Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, 7th Fleet AOR, 2019, US Navy

It finally happened. CENTCOM’s logistical storage site for Tomahawks has finally been disbanded and replaced by PACOM.

What can you really say, huh? How do you even sum up a career like this?

Just look at all of our vast accomplishments from our humble beginnings in 2018: an endless supply of TLAMs sent to CENTCOM, providing critical PAC-3 interceptors to CENTCOM, lending priceless THAAD interceptors to CENTCOM, and even providing entire carrier strike groups to CENTCOM!

INDOPACOM truly had a run.

Just look at all those assets that had to traverse the Indian Ocean to make it to CENTCOM’s AOR. A combatant command named PACOM could never manage such a feat.

Did we ever pivot? No.

Did we at least build up our capabilities in the Indo-Pacific? Also, no, not really. Those assets are in SOUTHCOM and CENTCOM now. I think I just saw CENTCOM use our entire inventory of PrSMs on a sand dune.

But did we strengthen our partnerships and create a lasting network of friends to contain China? Not particularly. I think we mostly undermined that with trade wars.

Did we strengthen the joint force to fight the next war? No, we mostly argued about which branch was the most important for a fight in the Pacific¹ and whether or not the Marines should have tanks.

But hey! We at least managed to test JADC2 after a decade in development, though!

Did we manage to deter Chinese actions in disputed sea zones? Definitely not, they’ve absolutely continued building artificial islands.

But did we at least strengthen the U.S. Naval capacity? No, absolutely not. Why would you even ask that? The Navy is wasting all of our resources on a battleship that will never even be built. But it’s fine! What were we even going to put in our VLS cells when CENTCOM is using all of our SM-2 missiles?

It’s fine.

We have other munitions we can use.

INDOPACOM at least taught us the value of planning for contingencies, right? The tyranny of distance means you have to be prepared to lean on other options when one thing fails. Oh my God, no no no, CENTCOM found the stockpile of JASSMs? Who told Tampa that we had JASSMs? What do they even need JASSMs for?

Sorry.

It’s fine.

Just think of the good times we’ve had.

Huh?

Sure, it was mostly a Sisyphean existential hell.

But did we have fun?

In a Lynchian sense, I suppose we did.

Isn’t that what INDOPACOM was really about?

Wasn’t the real pivot the friends we made along the way?

1. It’s the Army. We’re the lynchpin. You need us.