President Trump rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War, which he says “sends a message of victory.”
“I think it sends, really, a message of strength,” Mr. Trump said as he signed an executive order in the Oval Office Friday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
The president said they had been talking about making the change for months, and thought “long and hard” about it.
The Department of War was created in 1789 and remained that until 1947, when the Truman administration split the Army, Air Force and Navy into its own branches and merged them into one department. It officially was named the Department of Defense in 1949.
“We won the first World War. We won the second World War. We won everything before that and in between,” Mr. Trump said. “And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense.”
The idea for the change had been on Mr. Hegseth’s mind since shortly after he started the position. He posted a survey on X in March asking whether the Defense Department should be renamed.
Mr. Hegseth reiterated the president’s point that the U.S. hasn’t won a war since being named the Department of Defense, but he said said the name change isn’t to “disparage our war fighters.” He said it is instead about “restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state, restoring intentionality to the use of force.”
Mr. Trump said the rebrand of the department won’t cost a lot of taxpayers’ money because “we know how to rebrand without having to go crazy.”
He said it was unclear if he needs approval from Congress to officially change the name. But GOP Sens. Rick Scott and Mike Lee of Utah, along with Rep. Greg Steube, Florida Republican, introduced legislation Friday to restore the Defense Department’s original name.
“We are the most lethal fighting force on the face of the planet — ready to defeat any enemy when called upon,” said Mr. Scott, Florida Republican. “Restoring the name to Department of War reflects our true purpose: to dominate wars, not merely respond after being provoked.”
“It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense,” said Mr. Lee, Utah Republican.
Mr. Lee and Mr. Steube said the name change would honor the first 150 years of the military’s history in which the U.S. fought in multiple wars.
“From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War,” Mr. Steube said. “Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, the standard of excellence was established for all service members who followed in their footsteps.”
– Lindsey McPherson contributed to this report.
