Washington [US]: US President Donald Trump is anticipated to sign an executive order on Friday that will rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War, as reported by a White House official to CNN.
As per CNN, Trump hinted at this change in recent days alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. During a press briefing in the Oval Office on August 25, Trump remarked, "We refer to it as the Department of Defense, but between us, I believe we are going to change the name."
"We triumphed in World War 1 and World War 2 -- it was known as the Department of War, and in my view, that is truly what it is. Defense is a component of that, but I sense we will be making a change," the president stated.
Fox News was the first to disclose information regarding the forthcoming executive order. While visiting Fort Benning on Thursday, Hegseth also suggested that the change was on the horizon. "I would say standby for tomorrow," Hegseth responded when questioned about a possible alteration. "It's something that -- words are significant. Titles are important. Cultures are essential. And George Washington established the War Department. We will see."
CNN highlighted that the last alteration to the Pentagon's name necessitated an act of Congress. The Department of War was initially founded by President George Washington when he established the Army. The name was subsequently modified in 1949 during President Harry Truman's extensive reorganization of the military.
Truman enacted the National Security Act in 1947, which combined the Department of the Navy, the newly formed Department of the Air Force, and the Department of the Army -- formerly the Department of War -- into the National Military Establishment, overseen by a civilian secretary of defense. In August 1949, this establishment was renamed the Department of Defense, according to CNN.
The same legislation also established the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as an advisory group to the president regarding military planning and strategy.
CNN additionally reported that this recent action is part of Hegseth's wider initiative to revive traditional military customs. He has overturned decisions made during the Biden administration that aimed to eliminate Confederate-era names from military installations such as Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, opting instead to restore these names while officially linking them to different individuals.
In June, Hegseth also mandated the renaming of a Navy oiler ship that had previously been named in honor of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and Navy veteran.
