Trump Renames DOD to Department of War

American President Donald J. Trump has signed an executive order renaming the U.S. Department of Defense to the Department of War as a secondary title, reviving the label used for more than 150 years until 1947.

The order, the 200th of Trump’s presidency, authorizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials to use the secondary titles “Department of War,” “Secretary of War” and “Deputy Secretary of War” in public communications, official correspondence, ceremonial events and non-statutory documents.

A White House fact sheet said all executive agencies and departments must recognize and accommodate the new terminology in internal and external communications. It also directs Hegseth to recommend steps — including possible legislative action — to make the renaming permanent.

“The name ‘Department of War’ conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to ‘Department of Defense,’ which emphasizes only defensive capabilities. Restoring the name will sharpen the focus on national interests and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests,” according to the fact sheet.

Before signing the order, Trump told reporters: “We’ve been talking about it for months. Under the original War Department, the U.S. achieved victories in both world wars. But since the rebranding to Defense Department, conflicts too often turned into ties.”

Hegseth added that the revived War Department would emphasize decisive combat operations. “Maximum lethality, not tepid legality; violent effect, not politically correct,” he said.

The War Department was created in 1789 and existed until the National Security Act of 1947 merged it with the Navy and the newly formed Air Force, creating the Department of Defense. Historical figures such as James Monroe, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert Todd Lincoln and William Howard Taft once served as secretaries of war.