Trump Rebrands Pentagon as ‘Department of War,’ Citing Strength.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a move he said was meant to project U.S. strength and shed what he called a “woke” label. “It sends a message of victory. It sends, really, a message of strength,” Trump said at the signing, where he referred to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the new “secretary of war.”
Congress must still approve any official name change, but Trump allies in the House and Senate quickly introduced legislation to codify it. Meanwhile, cosmetic shifts took place immediately: the Pentagon’s website switched from “defense.gov” to “war.gov,” new signs went up, and Trump promised fresh stationery.
Hegseth praised the rebrand, saying the U.S. military would “go on offense, not just defense,” and embrace “maximum lethality” without being “politically correct.”
The decision continues Trump’s efforts to reshape the armed forces, from banning transgender service members to revisiting base names once tied to Confederate leaders. Supporters argue the new title revives historic tradition — the U.S. had a Department of War until 1947, when President Harry Truman reorganized it under the modern Department of Defense.
But the move sparked pushback in Congress, with critics accusing Trump of sidestepping lawmakers. “What this administration is doing is sticking its finger in the eye of Congress,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who opposed attempts to restore Confederate-linked names.
Trump defended the rebrand as consistent with his pursuit of peace: “I think I’ve gotten peace because of the fact that we’re strong,” he said.
Comments are closed.