The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by United States Army personnel assigned to the Headquarters, United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) was approved on 2 May 2002. (Note: USPACOM was redesignated as United States Indo-Pacific Command, or INDOPACOM, on 20 May 2018. It is unclear if this insignia has also been redesignated to reflect the change.)
In the center of the insignia is a globe that is positioned to emphasize the area of operation of the Command, while the background color of black and the gold used for the land masses on the globe and the bayonet blade allude to the night-and-day, round-the-clock mission of the United States Army Element of the Command. Red is used for the border and the lightning flash superimposed on the bayonet blade to denote zeal and action.
The upright bayonet represents the Command’s ability to deter aggression as well as respond to crises that occur, and it placement on the globe is a sign of the enhanced security the Command provides to this region of the world. A lightning flash is an emblem of communications infrastructure and the celerity of the Command’s response.
Established on 1 January 1947, INDOPACOM is the oldest and largest of the United States unified geographic combatant commands. It is supported by a variety of component and sub-unified commands; examples of component commands include but are not limited to U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, while sub-unified commands include U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific, U.S. Forces Japan, and U.S. Forces Korea.