Soldiers of the 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) conduct a battery salute during a redesignation ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on June 18, 2026. (Cody Miller/U.S. Army)
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — With volleys of cannon fire and a marching brass band, the Army on Thursday signaled a major military merger.
The ceremony at Watkins Field at Lewis-McChord redesignated the 7th Infantry Division as the 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific).
“We took the 7th Infantry Division, which is a traditional ground force, and we merged it with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, which has these new and emerging capabilities like space, electronic warfare, cyber information, sustainment, protection,†said Maj. Gen. Bernard J. Harrington, the unit commander.
The move combines the “Bayonet Division,†which traces its lineage to World War I, with the formerly separate 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, created in 2020. The command includes about 12,000 soldiers and will retain its previous headquarters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, about 35 miles south of Seattle.
Gen. Ronald P. Clark, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, said at Thursday's event that it was important to recognize the past and future of the 7th Infantry Division.
The division, established in 1917, fought in France during World War I, the Aleutian Islands and Okinawa in World War II, the Incheon Landing and Pork Chop Hill in the Korean War, and the invasion of Panama in 1989. Elements of the division served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This ceremony is not simply symbolic,†Clark said. “It honors the sacrifices and achievements of those who came before us. It affirms the readiness of our organizations. It signals to our soldiers, our partners and our adversaries that we're prepared for the challenges ahead, and it marks the beginning of a new chapter in the proud history of the 7th Infantry Division Multi-Domain Command-Pacific.â€
Soldiers assigned to 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) stand at attention during a redesignation ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on June 18, 2026. Â (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody Miller (Cody Miller/U.S. Army)
Col. Andrew Gallo, 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) chief of staff, center, marches ahead of the color guard during the redesignation ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., June 18, 2026. (Taylor Zacherl/U.S. Army)
The I Corps band marches on Watkins Field during the 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) redesignation ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on June 18, 2026. Â (Cody Miller/U.S. Army)
Clark said the unit's nickname could be “The Hypersonic Bayonet Division,†alluding to the division's role in first fielding the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon — also known as Dark Eagle. The missile reportedly has a range of 1,725 miles and travels more than five times the speed of sound.
After the event, Harrington said the change in the division's name signals to soldiers that the Army is looking hard at how to fight a future battle in the Pacific.
“The character of war is moving forward,†Harrington said. “It is our soldiers' sense of purpose, what they do each and every day. Being experts at that mission, and still working for the same organization, but making sure that we are optimizing that for the joint force moving forward.â€
Staff Sgt. Jerald Everett, part of a HIMARS rocket artillery unit in the division, said the change isn't something soldiers in the enlisted ranks worry about.
“It's nothing different,†Everett said. “It's just a change in who's paying our bills and who is telling us where to go. We just have to do our jobs and do them well.â€
A soldier assigned to 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) switches the patch from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force patch to the 7th ID (MDC-PAC) patch during a redesignation ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., June 18, 2026. (Taylor Zacherl/U.S. Army)
