Washington (TDI): President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order Friday that would rename the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” Reuters reported citing a senior White House official.
The move, which would restore the agency’s pre-1949 title, would mark one of Trump’s most symbolic imprints on the federal government’s largest institution.
Under the order, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials would be allowed to use alternative designations such as “Secretary of War” or “Deputy Secretary of War” in public communications and official correspondence, a White House fact sheet said. Hegseth would also be tasked with proposing the legislative and administrative steps needed to make the change permanent.
Trump, who has pursued a series of renaming efforts since returning to office in January, including attempts to alter the names of geographical landmarks and military facilities, has framed the rebrand as a return to historical tradition. The Defense Department carried the War Department title until 1949, when Congress consolidated the Army, Navy, and newly created Air Force under a new name, meant to signal a focus on deterrence in the nuclear era.
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The proposal is likely to spark debate on Capitol Hill. Renaming federal departments requires congressional approval, but Republicans, who narrowly control both chambers, have so far shown little resistance to Trump’s agenda. Critics argue the change would be costly and largely symbolic. Updating signage, correspondence, and insignia across military installations worldwide could run into tens of millions of dollars.
Democratic lawmakers have already voiced opposition. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran, called the plan “a political stunt,” saying the money could be better spent supporting service members and their families or expanding diplomatic efforts to prevent wars.
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“This isn’t about strengthening our security,” Duckworth said. “It’s about Trump trying to score political points with the military while ignoring what actually makes America safer.”
The Pentagon has faced similar costs before. A Biden-era initiative to rename nine bases tied to the Confederacy was projected to cost the Army nearly $40 million before it was scrapped earlier this year.
