Army Activates U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command in Historic Transition Ceremony

The Army activated the U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command in a ceremony held Dec. 5 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina — uniting U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single, four-star operational headquarters.

The ceremony also marked the casing of the U.S. Army Forces Command colors and the retirement of its commanding general, Army Gen. Andrew Poppas, who led the command since July 2022. 

“Today we become something new, but [U.S. Army Forces Command]‘s spirit of readiness, resilience and warfighting strength will not fade. Rather, that spirit will radiate throughout the Army,” said Poppas, who retired after more than 37 years of service.

Army Gen. Joseph A. Ryan assumed command of West-Hemcom. He previously served as the Army’s deputy chief of staff for Operations, Plans and Training.

The ceremony marked a significant moment in the Army’s transformation as the establishment of West-Hemcom is part of a broader transformation campaign to modernize Army command structures and improve operational agility.

The newly established command is an operational warfighting theater command headquarters overseeing all Army plans, posture, operations and power projection in support of U.S. Northern and Southern Commands — and aligned with national strategic priorities. 

“Western Hemisphere Command is designed for speed, flexibility and relevance to effectively respond to challenges in our complex times,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. “By consolidating these headquarters and aligning the theater, we will streamline processes, eliminate redundant efforts and free up talent and resources. This will allow us to better support our fighting formations.” 

West-Hemcom unifies domestic-response capabilities from U.S. Army North, regional engagement expertise from U.S. Army South and large-scale readiness oversight from U.S. Army Forces Command. This integration delivers uninterrupted readiness, rapid force generation and expertise in homeland defense and civil support. It also enables the Army to respond more rapidly to crises and to continue building strong military alliances. 

“Today is much more than a change of command ceremony,” Poppas said. “It’s a major step toward the merger of three powerhouse Army headquarters into one operational, transregional team that will face the nation’s top strategic priorities.”

The activation of West-Hemcom is the first step in a conditions-based transformation. By February 2026, the new command will reach its initial operational capability and will be assigned to Southcom and Northcom to prepare to accept theater Army authorities and responsibilities. Following initial operational capability, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South will inactivate. If all conditions are met, West-Hemcom will reach full operational capability by summer 2026. 

“Today, we continue in the Army’s rich history of transformation — combining Forces Command, Army North and Army South — to form the United States Army Western Hemisphere Command,” Ryan said. “The Army is making an enormous investment in this transformation, combining three important, effective and historically capable commands into one. It is our responsibility to deliver returns on that investment.”