President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Friday to let the Pentagon use the name "Department of War" for the Department of Defense, a White House official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday.
Trump’s Executive Order Will Authorize Use of Historic ‘War' Titles
The order would allow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon officials to use secondary titles such as "Secretary of War," "Department of War" and "Deputy Secretary of War" in official correspondence and public communications while Hegseth drafts steps to make the rebranding permanent, according to a White House fact sheet accessed by Reuters.
The report notes that Department name changes are uncommon and typically require Congress, but Republicans control both chambers and party leaders have shown little interest in resisting Trump's priorities.
According to a separate Fox News report from August, Trump previewed the idea earlier this summer, stating to a reporter, "We're just going to do it. I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that … Defense is too defensive. We want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be."
Renaming Raises Costs And Congressional Approval Questions
The Pentagon was known as the War Department until 1949, when post-World War II reforms consolidated the Army, Navy, and newly created Air Force under the Department of Defense. This consolidation was a Cold War-era signal that the U.S. aimed to deter conflict in the nuclear age, historians note, according to Reuters. Renaming the department again would require global updates to signage, seals and stationery across U.S. installations.
An earlier effort under President Joe Biden to rename nine bases honoring Confederates was projected to cost the Army about $39 million before Hegseth reversed it this year, says Reuters. Hegseth has argued the new label is "not just about words — it's about the warrior ethos."
Democrats Slam Plan As Political, Allies Applaud Heritage
Democrats blasted the plan as needless and political. "Why not put this money toward supporting military families or toward employing diplomats that help prevent conflicts from starting in the first place?" Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, said.
"Because Trump would rather use our military to score political points than to strengthen our national security and support our brave servicemembers and their families – that's why," she told Reuters.
The push has been years in the making among some Trump allies. During Trump's first term, current FBI Director Kash Patel briefly served at the Pentagon and used an email sign-off reading, "Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense & the War Department."
"I view it as a tribute to the history and heritage of the Department of Defense," Patel told Reuters in 2021.
Trump has moved to restore or revise names across government since January, from geographic labels to military installations, as part of a broader effort to leave a lasting mark on federal institutions.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock/Jeremy Christensen
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