US: Trump signs executive order, Pentagon to be now known as ‘Department of War’

WASHINGTON, DC : US President Donald Trump on Friday (US local time) officially signed an Executive Order which reverted the Department of Defence’s name to the Department of War.

He was flanked by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

Ahead of signing the order, US President Trump told the media that he had been discussing the idea for some time with Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine.

Trump said, “We won the first world war, second world war- everything before that and in between and then we decided to go woke and changed the name to ‘Department of Defense’, so we’re going ‘Department of War'”.

He said that the name is “much more appropriate” considering the current global scenario.

Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, said, “This name changing is not just about renaming, it is about restoring. Words matter… Restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity, restoring intentionality… The War Department is going to fight decisively, not endless conflicts. It’s going to fight to win, not to lose. We are going to go on offence, not just defence; maximum lethality, not tepid legality; violent effect, not politically correct. We are going to raise up warriors, not just defenders”.

On being asked what message the rebranding sends to American enemies and allies, Trump said, “It sends a message of victory and strength”.
The White House also shared the announcement in a post on X.

BREAKING: The Department of Defense The Department of War

President Donald J. Trump just signed an Executive Order restoring the name of the Department of War.

America First. Peace Through Strength. pic.twitter.com/jzk3MGQjpT

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 5, 2025

The Department of War posted a video where Secretary Pete Hegseth, in an interview with Fox News, said, “We won World War I and World War II not with the Department of Defence but with the War Department “. It also showcased several elements of the American military.

WE ARE THE WAR DEPARTMENT. pic.twitter.com/7hNb7zJLHc

— Department of War (@DeptofWar) September 5, 2025

The Department of War was originally established by President George Washington when he created the Army. The name was later changed in 1949 during President Harry Truman’s broader reorganisation of the military.

Truman signed the National Security Act in 1947, merging the Department of the Navy, the newly created Department of the Air Force, and the Department of the Army — previously the Department of War — into the National Military Establishment, led by a civilian Secretary of Defence. In August 1949, the establishment was renamed the Department of Defence, according to CNN.

The same act also created the Joint Chiefs of Staff as an advisory body to the president on military planning and strategy.

CNN further reported that the latest move comes as part of Hegseth’s broader efforts to restore older military traditions. He has reversed Biden-era decisions to remove Confederate-era names from bases like Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, instead reinstating the names but officially attributing them to different individuals.

In June, Hegseth also ordered the renaming of a Navy oiler ship that had been named after gay rights activist and Navy veteran Harvey Milk. (ANI)