U.S. Army to Merge 7th Infantry Division and 1st Multi-Domain Task Force into New Pacific Command

U.S. Army is establishing the Multi-Domain Command-Pacific, also known as MDC-PAC, a two-star command that will combine the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force. Army leaders announced the establishment during the 2026 Land Forces of the Pacific Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu, Hawaii.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commanding general of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, described the move as an agile adjustment born from practical testing. Both the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force are headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The new command will merge the 7th ID’s two Stryker brigades and a combat aviation brigade with a multidomain task force. That merged formation will share fires, space, electronic warfare, cyber and intelligence capabilities with other commands and services throughout the Indo-Pacific. The transition to the new command is slated to begin in mid-June 2026.

Soldiers with the 1st MDTF will “re-patch” into the 7th ID as part of the transition. McFarlane said the timing of the move reflects Corps-level successes during recent exercises and war games that replicated what a two-star merger might look like. “We made the formations to test and integrate the equipment, and we’re adjusting.

We’re keeping an agile posture with making organizational changes,” he said. U.S. military wrapped up the 41st iteration of Exercise Balikatan days before the start of the 2026 LANPAC symposium.

The 2026 Balikatan exercise lasted 19 days and was joined by Australia, Japan, New Zealand, France and Canada, the latter four of which put troops on the ground for the first time. Brig. Gen. William Parker, commander of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, emphasized the role of allies at the symposium.

“We can’t do any of what we do today without allies and partners. We don’t fight alone, and we haven’t fought alone for a long time. Our partners help us protect our critical assets and critical formations that we have within this theater,” he said.

Defense News reported that the changes reflect a shift from waiting until equipment was fully produced before creating formations. McFarlane noted the Army is still working through some organizational details but sees the two-star command as offering the right mix of capabilities. The Stryker brigades provide ground security within the long-range sense-and-strike structure.