US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rename the US Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” reverting to a title it held until after World War II when officials sought to emphasize the Pentagon’s role in preventing conflict.
Trump’s move represented his latest effort to rebrand the US military, which has included his decision to preside over an extraordinary military parade in downtown Washington and to restore the original names of military bases that were changed after racial justice protests in 2020.
Trump has also challenged conventional norms over domestic deployment of the US armed forces, creating military zones along the southern US border with Mexico to aid an immigration crackdown as well as deploying troops in cities such as Los Angeles and Washington.
Photo: Reuters
The Pentagon moved swiftly to change signs at the US military’s five-sided headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, switching US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s title on his door to “Secretary of War” and the title of his No. 2, Steve Feinberg, to the “Deputy Secretary of War.”
“It’s a very important change, because it’s an attitude,” Trump said as he signed the executive order at a ceremony in the Oval Office. “It’s really about winning.”
The move would instruct Hegseth to recommend legislative and executive actions required to make the renaming permanent.
Department name changes are rare and have required congressional approval. Still, Trump questioned whether he really needed a nod from US Congress, even though his fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the US Senate and House of Representatives.
Two Republican senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, and one Republican House member, Greg Steube of Florida, introduced legislation on Friday to make the change.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, introduced as the secretary of war by Trump, cheered the change, which he has long advocated.
“We’re going to go on the offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality,” Hegseth said.
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