Department of Defense to become Department of War under Trump order
President Donald Trump made a significant move on Friday by signing an executive order to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This decision allows for the use of the name “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense, including terms like “secretary of war” for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The White House has also indicated that Secretary Hegseth will propose legislative and executive actions to permanently establish the title as the U.S. Department of War.
To implement this change, adjustments will need to be made to public-facing websites and office signage at the Pentagon. For instance, the public affairs briefing room may be renamed the “Pentagon War Annex,” with other long-term projects also in the works.
The Department of War title was used by the U.S. military agency until 1949, when it was modified to the Department of Defense to align with reforms in the National Security Act of 1947. Trump had hinted at this change in late August, expressing a desire to return to the Department of War’s history of victory.
In addition to this development, Trump announced a military strike against an alleged drug-laden Venezuelan boat in the southern Caribbean, resulting in the deaths of 11 suspected Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists. This action followed the authorization to deploy three U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to enhance counternarcotics efforts in the region.
Furthermore, Trump revealed plans to relocate Space Command’s headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, resolving a long-standing controversy over the command’s base. Space Command, which had been operating out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, will now be stationed in Huntsville, Alabama.
These recent decisions by President Trump mark significant shifts in the military and defense landscape, reshaping key institutions and strategies for the future.
