U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to rebrand the Department of Defense (DOD) to the ‘Department of War’ in an executive order Friday.
The White House confirmed the name change to several media outlets Thursday, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also resharing a Fox News article about it.
“DEPARTMENT OF WAR,” Hegseth posted on X.
Highlights
- President Trump plans to rename the Department of Defense to the 'Department of War' via executive order this Friday.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supports the rebranding and will hold titles including Secretary of War.
- Permanent name change requires congressional approval; a fact sheet orders Hegseth to propose legislative actions.
- The original Department of War existed from 1789 until post-WWII military reorganization in 1947.
Donald Trump is expected to rebrand the DOD as the Department of War
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It is understood the rebranding will be used as a secondary title to the Department of Defense, and Hegseth will have titles including Secretary of War.
If the name change is to be made permanent, it would require congressional approval.
A White House fact sheet seen by Fox News says that Hegseth has been ordered to propose executive and legislative actions to make the name permanent.
There will also be a rebrand of signs at the Pentagon and modifications will be made to public websites, according to the outlet.
“Restoring the name ‘Department of War’ will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests,” a document describing the executive order said, as per The Washington Post.
The Defense Department was originally established as the Department of War in 1789, a title it held until the reorganization of the U.S. military following World War II.
In 1947, it was consolidated with the Navy Department and newly formed Air Force under the National Military Establishment, which two years later was formally renamed the Department of Defense.
Trump has previously hinted at the change and has also referred to Hegseth as the secretary of war.
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“Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War,” Trump told reporters in August. “Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”
He also said he was sure “Congress will go along if we need that” but didn’t think his administration would need approval if there was a rebranding.
In June, Trump claimed that the War Department branding was previously scrapped because “we became politically correct.”
Hegseth also teased the name change before its formal announcement, saying in a recent interview that names and titles matter.
Trump and Hegseth have both hinted at the name change
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“We won World War I, and we won World War II, not with the Department of Defense, but with a War Department, with the Department of War,” Hegseth told Fox & Friends on Wednesday.
“As the president has said, we’re not just defense, we’re offense.”
“We’ve reestablished at the Department the warrior ethos. We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy,” he added.
“We don’t want endless contingencies and just playing defense. We think words and names and titles matter. So, we’re working with the White House and the president on it. Stand by.”
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Then, as he was giving a speech at Fort Benning in Georgia on Thursday, Hegseth told new military officers that his title “may be a slightly different title tomorrow.”
Brad Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Washington Post that the money for the rebranding could be better spent elsewhere.
“American military supremacy has eroded as China has sprinted to field combat forces that they hope can defeat the United States military in the Pacific. Changing the name of the Department of Defense won’t help with that,” he said.
“Perhaps the significant amount of money spent making new signs, office placards and letterhead would be better used ensuring our warfighters have the training and weapons they need to accomplish the missions they are given and to return home to their families.”
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The rebrand to the Department of War comes amid Trump’s ambitions to secure the Nobel Peace Prize.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated him for the prestigious award in July for his “dedication to promoting peace, security, and stability around the world.”
Trump has expressed frustration on Truth Social that his efforts have not earned him an award so far.
On Thursday, Trump downplayed talk of his ambition to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I have nothing to say about it,” Trump told CBS News. “All I can do is put out wars.”
“I don't seek attention. I just want to save lives,” he added.