President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Friday to restore the Pentagon’s historic name, rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The move is part of Trump’s “warrior ethos” campaign, backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has already begun referring to himself as the “Secretary of War”.
Executive Order Details
According to a White House official, the executive order directs federal agencies to use “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Pentagon. It also changes terms like “Secretary of Defense” to “Secretary of War” and instructs Hegseth to draft additional proposals to make the change permanent.
The order will require updates across federal websites and signage, including renaming the Pentagon press room as the “Pentagon War Annex.”
Historical Context
The United States used the name Department of War until 1949, when Congress replaced it with the Department of Defense under the National Security Act of 1947. Trump has argued that the older name reflected America’s record of military victories.
“Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War,” Trump said on August 25. “Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”
Hegseth’s Support
Hegseth echoed the president’s view, telling Fox & Friends: “We won WWI, and we won WWII, not with the Department of Defense, but with the Department of War. As the president has said, we’re not just defense, we’re offense.”
He added: “We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy. We don’t want endless contingencies and just playing defense.”
Congressional Role
It remains unclear if Congress must approve the change. Trump, however, has expressed confidence that he can move forward without lawmakers’ approval. “We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that,” he said.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced legislation Tuesday to make the name change permanent.
“I’m proud to introduce the Department of War Restoration Act to make President Trump’s return to tradition permanent in federal law,” Lee said. “It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense.”
