United States President Donald Trump is renaming the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” the White House said on Thursday.
Trump will sign an executive order on Friday authorizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Defense Department to use “secondary titles,” a White House document stated, as the president cannot change the name without legislation. Renaming of US departments needs congressional assent.
According to the document, the US president’s order would instruct Hegseth to recommend legislative and executive actions to “permanently rename” the department.
On Thursday night, Hegseth posted the text “DEPARTMENT OF WAR” on the social media platform X.
Why does Trump want to rename the Department of Defense?
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the change in the name of the Department of Defense — which is the US government’s largest organization — would project a more powerful image, deeming its current title too “defensive.”
The renaming “conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve,” the White House document said.
The Republican president has sought to put his stamp on a range of places and institutions by changing their names.
The US Department of Defense was called the War Department until 1947, when Congress consolidated the Army, Navy and Air Force after World War Two.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
