By Executive Order.. Trump Renames the Pentagon to "Department of War"
The White House announced that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, September 5, to rename the U.S. Department of Defense to "Department of War," the name it held before Congress changed it in 1949.
The new order grants Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth the authority to use titles such as "Secretary of War" and "Department of War" in all official correspondence and public communications, and requires all government agencies to recognize and adopt these titles in their internal and external communications.
The signing of the order took place during a ceremony in the Oval Office, where Trump commented: "This is a significant change, because it's a stance. It really is about winning." For his part, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised this change that he has long advocated for, stating: "We will go on the offensive, not just to defend. Maximum lethality, not to the tepid legitimacy."
This step comes as part of a series of efforts made by Trump to reshape the image of the U.S. military, which included his decision to preside over an extraordinary military parade in Washington, D.C., and to restore the original names of military bases that were changed after the racial justice protests of 2020, in addition to challenging traditional norms regarding the domestic deployment of armed forces.
Although Trump has repeatedly hinted at his desire for this step, it has sparked controversy regarding the reasons and motivations behind it, and the legal basis on which it rests. It is worth noting that changes to the names of departments are rare in the United States and usually require Congressional approval, which Trump himself questioned the need for.
It is noted that the U.S. Department of Defense was officially called the "Department of War" until 1949, when Congress merged the Army, Navy, and Air Force in the aftermath of World War II. According to historians, one of the reasons for choosing the name Department of Defense was to indicate that the United States focused in the nuclear age on preventing wars.
In a related development, a number of Republican members of Congress have introduced legislation supporting this change, including Senator Mike Lee from Utah, Senator Rick Scott from Florida, and Representative Greg Steube from Florida.
