WASHINGTON — The US Army has stood up its Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC), officially combining US Army Forces Command, Army North and Army South into a single four-star headquarters.
“This integration delivers uninterrupted readiness, rapid force generation and expertise in homeland defense and civil support,” the Army wrote in a release Friday. “This enables the U.S. Army to respond more rapidly to crises and continue building strong military alliances.”
The activation of the new command comes as the Army has taken initiatives to slim down the size of its headquarters and decrease the number of four-star general officer billets in line with its larger Army Transformation Initiative, and as the Trump administration turns its attention to the West. Gen. Joseph Ryan, previously the service’s deputy chief of staff of the G-3/5/7, will serve as the commanding general of the new command, according to the announcement.
Earlier this year, in another effort to slim the service’s headquarters, the Army combined two four-star billets, Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), into one command dubbed the Transformation and Training Command, or T2COM.
“Our Army has gotten smaller, and we have grown headquarters. I mean, so we have to reduce the headquarters, and I think we can become more efficient,” Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy George said in October.
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“We started by saying that we were going to downsize our own [headquarters] by 1,000 people,” he added. “Instead of passing all the people [and] product around, I have been able, in my own office, to look at a smart board and make decisions, not ask for info papers [to] understand what’s happening inside of our formation. So, we need less people to do that.”
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The Army said USAWHC aims to reach initial operational capability by February 2026 and will be “assigned to US Southern and US Northern at the same time to prepare to accept Theater Army authorities and responsibilities,” the service wrote.
“If all the conditions are met, the command will reach full operational capability by summer 2026,” the release added.
Army North and Army South are currently headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. An Army spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense “most military personnel currently serving in ARNORTH and ARSOUTH will consolidate at Fort Bragg between now and September 2027. Military personnel will transition through routine assignment cycles and natural attrition. Incoming soldiers will receive orders directly to Fort Bragg.”
The activation of USAWHC comes as the White House and the Pentagon have shifted focus to the Western Hemisphere. For example, the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy — the precursor to the forthcoming National Defense Strategy — calling for a greater emphasis on the Americas. The strategy set the goal of involving “established friends” in the region to help control migration, curtail the flow of drugs and strengthen stability while seeking to “expand” those partnerships.
A growing emphasis on the Western Hemisphere in the NSS does not come as a surprise, especially at a time when the administration has been flooding the region with maritime assets and striking vessels it claims are ferrying drugs.
UPDATED on 12/09/2025 at 12:31 p.m. to include comment from the Army regarding USAWHC personnel movements to Fort Bragg.