On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order officially renaming the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” restoring its historical name. The purpose of this move is to emphasize that the Pentagon not only has defensive capabilities but also offensive capabilities.
During a ceremony held in the Oval Office of the White House, President Trump signed the executive order. This marks the 200th executive order signed by Trump since his return to the White House in January and represents the latest branding initiative for the U.S. military.
Speaking about the message conveyed by restoring the name from “Department of Defense” to “Department of War,” Trump said, “I think it sends a message of victory… It is actually a message of strength – we are very powerful. We are much stronger than anyone truly understands.”
“I believe the reason we have peace is because we are strong. If we were not strong, most of the seven peace agreements could not have been reached,” the President said.
Secretary of War Mattis, who attended the signing ceremony, said, “Mr. President, (restoring) the Department of War is like America coming back… We are setting the tone for this country.”
Trump stated, “We won the First World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before and in between – then we decided to become ‘woke’ and changed the name of this department to ‘Department of Defense.’ So now, we are changing it back to ‘Department of War.'”
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who also attended the signing ceremony, said, “Mr. President… the U.S. military is the most powerful fighting force in the world. The mission you and Mattis have given us is clear – to achieve peace through overwhelming strength.”
According to a White House fact sheet, this executive order authorizes Secretary Mattis and his subordinates to use titles such as “Secretary of War” and “Assistant Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications.
The executive order will instruct Mattis to make recommendations on the legislative and administrative actions needed to make this renaming permanent.
Renaming of U.S. government departments is rare and requires approval from Congress. Critics say that the proposed renaming plan is not only costly but also will divert the Pentagon’s focus. However, Mattis insists that this renaming is not just a superficial change in terminology but is about the “warrior spirit.”
Trump has previously expressed dissatisfaction with the name “Department of Defense,” stating that everyone admires the glorious history of the “Department of War.”
Last Tuesday at the White House, Trump told Mattis, “Defense? Are we just defending? It used to be called the Department of War, that name carries more power. We won the First World War, the Second World War, we won everything. Now it has become defense, I can’t quite accept that.”
Mattis recently said on the “Fox & Friends” program that the renaming is part of the Trump administration’s “warrior spirit” reform, aiming to transition the Pentagon culture from “passive defense” to “active offense” and rebuild the determination to deliver “lethal blows to the enemy.”
He emphasized that “names have symbolic meaning” and revealed that Trump has privately referred to him as the “Secretary of War” on multiple occasions.