Trump Signs Executive Order to Rename Pentagon as 'Department of War'
The symbolic move echoes early U.S. history, but an official renaming still requires congressional approval.
Overview
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense be referred to as the 'Department of War,' reviving its original historical name from 1789.
The order allows the use of 'Department of War' in official correspondence, ceremonies, and non-statutory documents; Congress must act for a formal statutory name change.
Trump argued the new title reflects military strength and rejects what he called a 'woke' shift, saying 'Department of Defense' sounded weaker than 'Department of War.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supported the change, calling it an effort to 'restore the warrior ethos' in the U.S. military, aligning with Trump's stated priorities.
The Department of War existed until 1947, when President Truman created the Department of Defense to reflect broader responsibilities of joint operations, policy, and national security.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by consistently emphasizing the post-WWII shift to "Department of Defense" as a deliberate move towards peace and international cooperation. They use evaluative language and highlight the administration's "warrior ethos" rhetoric, implicitly contrasting the proposed name change as a regression from these historical ideals and suggesting a superficial or contradictory motivation.
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FAQ
The renaming is intended to convey a stronger sense of readiness and a 'warrior ethos,' signaling America's willingness to wage war to secure its national interests, reflecting a shift towards a more offensive military posture.
No, the executive order authorizes the use of the 'Department of War' as a secondary name within the executive branch, but an official name change requires congressional approval.
The original Department of War, established in 1789, primarily managed the Army and did not oversee all military branches or have a unified cabinet-level defense role like today's Department of Defense, which includes multiple branches such as the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supports the rebranding, advocating for it as a way to remove 'woke culture' and promote a 'Department of War' identity; additionally, Republican senators like Mike Lee and Rick Scott have introduced legislation to officially restore the name.
The Pentagon has intensified operations against drug trafficking in the Caribbean, including destroying boats linked to drug cartels supported by the Venezuelan government, emphasizing a stance equating drug cartels to terrorist threats and asserting military readiness against such challenges.
History
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