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President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Friday officially renaming the Department of Defense, restoring it to its original namesake, the Department of War.
The order calls for using the Department of War as a secondary title for the Department of Defense, along with phrases like “Secretary of War” for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed White House official.
The president’s order will also require changes to websites and signage at the Pentagon, along with renaming the public affairs briefing room to the “Pentagon War Annex,” according to the official. Hegseth will introduce executive and legislative actions to make the name change permanent.
Hegseth also seemingly confirmed the name change, writing “Department of War” on X after re-posting a Fox News announcement on the subject.
President Trump has recently argued that the old name “sounds stronger” and is “much more appropriate,” according to the New York Post, hinting at an impending name change.
“You know we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name. You want to know the truth? I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon,” the president recently told reporters.
“But I think because, you know, Department of Defense, we won the World War I, World War II. It was called the Department of War. And to me that’s really what it is. Defense is a part of that. But I have a feeling we’re going to be changing,” he continued. “I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”
The Defense Department was previously known as the Department of War from 1789 to 1947, until Congress split the Army and Air Force departments to form the National Military Establishment, along with the Navy Department.
