United States Army Pacific

History

The first U.S. Army formation established in Hawaii was the District of Hawaii, on 25 October 1910. It was succeeded on 1 October 1911, by the Department of Hawaii, and on 15 February 1913, by the Hawaiian Department. Brigadier General Montgomery M. Macomb was the first commander of the Hawaiian Department. Headquartered in the Alexander Young Hotel, it moved to Fort Shafter in 1921. The department also started wearing the red octagon insignia bearing the yellow letter "H." The colors symbolized Hawaiian royalty and the eight sides represented the main islands of Hawaii.

Lieutenant General Walter Short was commanding the Hawaiian Department in early December 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took place. He was quickly recalled to the mainland. To replace him, Lieutenant General Delos Emmons was returned by General Henry "Hap" Arnold to Hawaii as commanding general of the Department on December 17, 1941, ten days after the attacks. He encouraged the creation of the Hawaii Defense Volunteers. He organized the replacement of the island's U.S. banknotes with new dollars overprinted with the word HAWAII; if the area were occupied, U.S. authorities could declare all marked dollars void and thereby render worthless all money which fell into enemy hands (by their capture of banks, businesses, etc.). He also requested Army Air Forces Headquarters to send additional planes and received them as rapidly as possible. Emmons built up the forces in Hawaii, anticipating the Battle of Midway. After Admiral Chester Nimitz became Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas in May 1942, the Hawaiian Department came under his command.

On 26 May 1943, General Robert C. Richardson Jr. arrived in Hawaii as the new commander of the Hawaiian Department. In July, he radically reorganized his command, placing the major air and ground forces in the area under seven major commands—all under his direct control. In recognition of the importance of shipping in an oceanic theater, he abolished the old Service Forces and created instead an Army Port and Service Command. A Hawaiian Artillery Command was also established, and a Department Reserve designated. All the combat divisions in the area, as well as those expected, were placed under separate command and a task force headquarters was formed in anticipation of future needs. Finally, Richardson appointed a deputy chief of staff for operations, who became, in effect, a War Plans officer.

On 14 August, Richardson assumed the title Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces, Central Pacific Area "by direction of the President."

The geographical extent of General Richardson's authority under this directive, as distinguished from his command of the Hawaiian Department, corresponded to the area delineated as the Central Pacific in Nimitz' original directive. It encompassed all the land and sea areas of the Pacific between the equator and the 42nd parallel, to the north (including Canton Island), except for that portion of MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area that lay north of the equator and a small strip off the coast of South America. Within this vast region—of which only a small portion was in American hands—Richardson had responsibility for administration and training of all U.S. Army troops, whether ground or air. This responsibility included also supply, but the precise nature of these duties was left undefined pending his recommendations. General Richardson had no responsibility for operations other than to assist "in the preparation and execution of plans" involving Army forces in the area, "subject to the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Area."

In designating Richardson as Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces, Central Pacific Area, the War Department said nothing about his duties as Hawaiian Department commander. His responsibilities for both were about the same, but the older command—which carried certain additional legal responsibilities—had been established by Congress and could only be altered by that body. Did Richardson still retain those functions unique to the Hawaiian Department or had the new directive superseded the old? This confusion was quickly settled when the War Department on 18 September affirmed the continued existence of the Hawaiian Department under Richardson and stated explicitly what had been left implicit before—that its instructions to Richardson were not intended to affect the status of the Hawaiian Department.

Fort Shafter became a busy headquarters, and the barracks on Palm Circle were converted to offices. The major headquarters received the following names: U.S. Army Forces, Central Pacific Area (1943–44); U.S. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas (1944–45); and U.S. Army Forces, Middle Pacific (1945–47). In 1944, the Army Corps of Engineers erected the "Pineapple Pentagon" (buildings T-100, T-101, and T-102) in just 49 days.

On 1 February 1947, the U.S. Army Forces, Middle Pacific became U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC).

During the Korean War, USARPAC provided combat forces, training, and logistics. On 1 July 1957, USARPAC became a component of the U.S. Pacific Command.

During the Vietnam War, USARPAC provided similar support to United States Army Vietnam. After the war, the Army cut its presence in the region, since large amounts of combat forces in the Pacific were no longer needed. On 31 December 1974, USARPAC was inactivated. Army forces in Korea and Japan became separate major commands. In Hawaii, USARPAC headquarters was superseded by U.S. Army Support Command Hawaii (USASCH) and a Department of the Army field operating agency—the U.S. Army CINCPAC Support Group (USACSG).

The Army established United States Army Western Command (WESTCOM) on 23 March 1979 as a major command. WESTCOM was the Army component of the joint U.S. Pacific Command. The new WESTCOM took command of Army forces in Hawaii. In 1989, WESTCOM added United States Army Alaska from FORSCOM. In 1990, United States Army, Japan transferred under WESTCOM, losing its status as a major Army command.

In August 1990, WESTCOM was redesignated United States Army Pacific (USARPAC).

On 1 October 2000, USARPAC reorganized into an Army service component command.

Since the September 11 attacks, the command has played a major role in the homeland defense of the United States. To fill operational gaps, the command sent soldiers to the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the Iraq War (U.S. phase, 2003–2011).

USARPAC has sent forces on multiple humanitarian missions, disaster relief, and defense support of civil authorities.

Commander's responsibilities

• Responsible to Secretary of the Army for execution of 10 USC §7013(b) responsibilities
• Admins and supports army units assigned or attached to United States Indo-Pacific Command
• Reports to the Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command

Insignia Design

Designed in 1944, USARPAC's insignia reflects the axis of advance across the Central Pacific then underway. A blue disc symbolizes the heavens, with twelve white stars that show Polaris (the North Star), seven stars of the Big Dipper, and four stars of the distinctive Southern Cross. Polaris's sitting above the horizon indicates the latitude of Hawaii. Cutting across the star field is a red on white Arrow of War, unsupported in the sky, signifying the Armed forces is self-reliant. The colors red, white, and blue are symbolic of our national flag, and decoding the starts (12 total, 7, 4, 1) reveals a key date - December 7th, 1941.

Organization

• [[File:USARPAC insignia.svg|25px]] United States Army Pacific, at Fort Shafter (HI)
  • [[File:Eighth United States Army CSIB.svg|27px]] Eighth Army, at Camp Humphreys (South Korea)
    • [[File:2nd Infantry Division (US) SSI.png|30px]] 2nd Infantry Division, at Camp Humphreys (South Korea)
    • [[File:501 MI BDE SSI.png|20px]] 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, at Camp Humphreys (South Korea)
    • [[File:65 Med Bde SSI.png|23px]] 65th Medical Brigade, at Camp Humphreys (South Korea)
    • [[File:19thESCshoulder.svg|25px]] 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, at Camp Henry (South Korea)
  • [[File:U.S. I Corps CSIB.svg|25px]] I Corps, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:4ID_Patch_PNG.png|27px]] 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson (CO)
    • [[File:7th Infantry Division SSI (1973-2015).svg|25px]] 7th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:11th Airborne Division Insignia 2022.png|20px]] 11th Airborne Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson (AK)
    • [[File:25th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia.png|27px]] 25th Infantry Division, at Schofield Barracks (HI)
    • [[File:1st Multi-Domain Task Force SSI.png|23px]] 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:17FABdeSSI.jpg|23px]] 17th Field Artillery Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:22ndSigBDE.gif|23px]] 22nd Corps Signal Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.svg|23px]] 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:555th Engineer Brigade.svg|25px]] 555th Engineer Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
    • [[File:U.S. I Corps CSIB.svg|25px]] 593rd Corps Sustainment Command, at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (WA)
  • [[File:241024-A-PR546-1001.png|23px]] 8th Theater Sustainment Command, at Fort Shafter (HI)
    • [[File:8MPBdeSSI.svg|20px]] 8th Military Police Brigade, at Schofield Barracks (HI)
    • [[File:130thEngineerBrigadePatch.svg|20px]] 130th Engineer Brigade, at Schofield Barracks (HI)
  • [[File:US IX Corps SSI.png|25px]] 9th Mission Support Command, Fort Shafter (HI) (U.S. Army Reserve)
    • [[File:303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.png|20px]] 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, in Honolulu (HI)
    • [[File:322CivilAffairsBdeSSI.jpg|20px]] 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade, in Honolulu (HI)
    • 4960th Multifunctional Training Brigade, in Honolulu (HI)
  • [[File:18MedicalCmdSSI.jpg|21px]] 18th Medical Command, Fort Shafter (HI)
  • [[File:94thAAMDC.png|20px]] 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, at Fort Shafter (HI)
    • [[File:35ADABdeSSI.svg|20px]] 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, at Osan Air Base (South Korea) (supports Eighth Army)
    • [[File:38ADABde.jpg|21px]] 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, at Sagami General Depot (Japan) (supports United States Army Japan)
  • [[File:311 Sig Cmd SSI.png|23px]] 311th Signal Command (Theater)
    • [[File:Emblem of 1st Signal Brigade (United States).svg|23px]] 1st Signal Brigade, at Camp Humphreys (South Korea) (supports Eighth Army)
    • [[File:US Army - 516th Signal Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.png|20px]] 516th Theater Signal Brigade, Fort Shafter (HI)
  • [[File:US Army 351st CACOM SSI.png|20px]] 351st Civil Affairs Command, in Mountain View (CA)
    • [[File:7thpog.jpg|23px]] 7th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), at Moffett Field (CA)
    • [[File:358th Civil Affairs Brigade.png|27px]] 358th Civil Affairs Brigade, in Riverside (CA) (U.S. Army Reserve)
    • [[File:364CABdeSSI.png|20px]] 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, in Portland (OR) (U.S. Army Reserve)
  • [[File:United States Army, Japan - Shoulder sleeve insignia.svg|25px]] United States Army Japan, at Camp Zama (Japan)
    • [[File:10th Area Support Group DUI.png|23px]] 10th Support Group, at Torii Station (Japan)
  • [[File:1st Multi-Domain Task Force SSI.png|23px]] 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, at Fort Shafter (HI)
  • [[File:US Army 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade DUI.png|23px]] 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (WA)
  • [[File:196InfBdeSSI.svg|20px]] 196th Infantry Brigade, Fort Shafter (HI) (U.S. Army Reserve)
  • [[File:500MIBdeSSI.jpg|20px]] 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, Schofield Barracks (HI), part of Army Intelligence and Security Command
  • 5th Battlefield Coordination Detachment, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (HI)

Former units include the U.S. Army Chemical Activity, Pacific, at Johnston Atoll, which traced some of its history to the 267th Chemical Company and the Project 112 biological warfare defense experiments. This became the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System, which was finally deactivated in 2001.

Commanders

Main article: Commanding General, United States Army Pacific

References

Sources

References

1. [https://www.usarpac.army.mil/Our-Team/Our-Units Units] U.S. Army Pacific
2. (11 December 2017). "AR 10–87 Army Commands, Army Service Component Commands, and Direct Reporting Units". Headquarters, Department of the Army.
3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120531145156/http://www.army.mil/standto/archive/issue.php?issue=2012-04-26 Eighth Army – An Operational Field Army Headquarters] Thursday, 26 April 2012
4. (2024). "History of U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii".
5. (14 April 2004). "Evolution of US Army, Pacific and Major Subordinate Commands".
6. "History {{!}} 413th".
7. (10 October 1989). "Army General Order". Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA).
8. "U.S. Army Pacific > Our Story > Our Vision Book".
9. "Our Units". U.S. Army Pacific.
10. "Subordinate Commands & Separate Brigades". I Corps.
11. "First Multi-Domain Task Force Welcomes New Commander". 1st Multi-Domain Task Force.
12. Barrieau, Caleb. (2 October 2020). "Medical Command in Hawaii Reassigned to USARPAC with New Two Star". US Army Pacific.
13. "Major Subordinate Commands". United States Army Intelligence and Security Command.