US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” reinstating a title that was dropped more than seventy years ago.
On Friday, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense as the “Department of War.”
The order permits Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Defense Department to use alternative titles such as “Secretary of War” and “Deputy Secretary of War” in official documents and public statements.
However, the president cannot formally change the department’s name without congressional approval, as renaming federal departments requires legislative consent.
A White House document released earlier stated that Trump’s order directs Hegseth to propose legislative and executive measures to “permanently rename” the department.
That same day, the Pentagon shared the message “WE ARE THE WAR DEPARTMENT” on the social media platform X.
Trump has argued that renaming the Department of Defense — the largest agency in the US government — would project greater strength, saying its current name sounds overly “defensive.”
According to a White House document, the new title would “convey a stronger message of readiness and resolve.”
This move is in line with the Republican president’s broader efforts to leave his mark on institutions and landmarks through renaming initiatives.
Historically, the agency was known as the War Department until 1947, when Congress restructured the military after World War II, merging the Army, Navy, and newly established Air Force under the Department of Defense.
