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| President Donald Trump speaks with the media in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 5, 2025. — Reuters |
Trump Revives “War Department” Name, Calling It a Message of Strength
President Donald Trump speaks
with the media in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US,
September 5, 2025. — Reuters WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has signed
an order on Friday and hailed the return of the War Department name as a bold
“message of...
WASHINGTON: US President Donald
Trump signed an executive order on Friday reintroducing the historic “War
Department” name, a move he hailed as a bold signal of strength and
“victory” to the rest of the world.
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, Trump declared that the decision marked a
shift away from what he mocked as the Pentagon’s overly “defensive” image. “I
think it sends a message of victory,” he told reporters. “It’s a much more
appropriate name in light of where the world is right now.”
The War Department title dates back to 1789,
just after American independence, and remained in use until 1947,
shortly after World War II. It was replaced by the Department of Defense in
1949, a move Trump suggested was tied to decades of military “setbacks” that
followed. “We could have won every war,” he said, “but we chose to be
politically correct — or too ‘wokey.’”
Although Trump cannot unilaterally rename the Pentagon without congressional approval, his order allows the War Department label to be used as a secondary title across the military establishment.
Restoring the
Warrior Ethos
Hegseth, a combat veteran and former
Fox News host whom Trump appointed to lead a major defense overhaul, quickly
embraced the rebrand. He posted a video showing a new “Secretary of War”
nameplate being mounted on his Pentagon office door.
“This isn’t just about renaming,”
Hegseth said. “It’s about restoring the warrior ethos. Maximum lethality, not
tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct. We’re going to raise
up warriors, not just defenders.”
The 79-year-old president’s executive order was his 200th of his second term, further underlining his push to project American power both at home and abroad under his “Make America Great Again” banner.
Military Power and
Political Messaging
The decision comes amid Trump’s broader
assertive military agenda. He has ordered:
- A US military build-up in the Caribbean to counter Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, with American forces recently striking a boat Washington said was carrying drugs, killing 11 people.
- A strike on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
- National Guard deployments in Washington,
D.C. and Los Angeles, framed as a crackdown on crime and illegal
immigration.
While Trump touts these moves as signs
of renewed strength, critics point to the contradiction with his long-running
campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize, where he has alternately claimed
credit for ending “six or seven” conflicts.
Democrats have dismissed the War Department revival as an expensive political stunt designed to rally his base.
Cost Concerns and
Backlash
The White House has not yet revealed
the cost of the rebrand, but US media outlets suggest it could run into the billions
of dollars. A Pentagon official said expenses would cover changes to
emblems, uniforms, email addresses, and hundreds of agencies linked to the
department. “The cost estimate will fluctuate as we carry out President Trump’s
directive,” the official said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, has pushed policies aligned with Trump’s combative vision, including attempts to expel transgender troops from service and restore Confederate base names that were removed under President Joe Biden. Both men argue these steps are about rejecting what they label “woke” culture in the military.
A Return to the Past
The War Department, originally
created in August 1789, oversaw the US Army, Navy, and Marine Corps
before the Navy and Marines split off a decade later. For Trump, reviving the
name is about tapping into America’s historical roots of military dominance.
“This is more than just a name change,”
Trump said, presenting the move as a statement of intent. “It shows the world
we are strong again.”
Whether the rebrand becomes permanent
will depend on Congress, but for now, Trump’s executive order ensures that the Department
of War once again has a place in America’s political and military
vocabulary.