The Pentagon has activated the U.S. Army's Western Hemisphere Command (West-Hemcom) following the publication of the National Security Strategy released by the White House. The new command unifies the Army Forces Command, the North Command, and the South Command into a single four-star operational headquarters. The activation was formally officiated on December 5th during a ceremony held at Fort Bragg, in the state of North Carolina. General Joseph A. Ryan, who previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Aviation, and Training for the Army, assumed command of West-Hemcom, according to the official communiqué. According to the Pentagon, West-Hemcom will function as an 'operational theater command headquarters' overseeing the Army's planning, posturing, operations, and power projection in support of the U.S. Northern and Southern Commands, in line with national strategic priorities. The Department of Defense specified that by February 2026, the new command will achieve its initial operational capability and will be assigned to the Northcom and Southcom to begin the transition of responsibilities. After this stage, the North and South Army commands will become inactive. If all conditions are met, West-Hemcom will reach full operational capacity in the summer of 2026, the communiqué indicated. The National Security Strategy published by the White House states that the United States 'must be preeminent in the Western Hemisphere' to guarantee its security and prosperity, and is considered the formal declaration of President Donald Trump's foreign policy vision for his second term.
