On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the renaming of the Department of Defense, restoring it to its original title: Department of War.
The president was joined by the newly renamed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan “Raizin” Kaine.
“We’ve been talking about [this] for months,” President Trump said of the name change.
“I think it’s a much more appropriate name in light of where the world is right now,” the president continued.
Secretary Hegseth added, “After winning the War for Independence, in 1789, George Washington established the War Department and Henry Knox was his first Secretary of War. And this country won every war after that.”
Hegseth noted that 150 years after the establishment of the Department of War, the name was changed to the Department of Defense. “As you pointed out, Mr. President, we haven’t won a major war since. And that’s not to disparage our war fighters…[it’s] to recognize that this name change is not just about renaming, it’s about restoring.”
Hegseth said that the name change was about “restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory.” He also emphasized the importance of digging into what he described as maximum lethality over tepid legality and raising up “warriors, not just defenders.”
He also said it was about putting the military in the position to play “offense, not defense.”
“We’re going to set the tone for this country – America First, peace through strength, brought to you by the War Department. We’re back,” he said.
General Kaine also offered a few remarks. He stated, “It’s a true honor for me today to represent the incredible men and women of America’s Joint Forces, today and every day. 2.8 million men and women stand ready to fulfill our sacred duty to protect America at home and abroad.”
Gen. Kaine said the mission that the president and the secretary had given the Armed Forces was clear: “To deliver peace through overwhelming strength.”