If America’s commander in chief has his wish, the Department of Defense will soon be changing its name.
President Donald Trump says he wants to change the “Department of Defense” to the “Department of War.”
Here’s what he has said about the change so far.
At the conclusion of a June 25 NATO meeting in the Netherlands, Trump introduced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “secretary of war.”
Trump said then that the name of the War Department, the precursor to the Defense Department, was visible on the wall of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, where the agency was once housed.
“Then we became politically correct and they called it the Secretary of Defense,” Trump said at the time. “Maybe we’ll have to think about changing it. But we feel that way.”
And last week, the president expressed his displeasure with the name “Department of Defense.”
While addressing the media from the Oval Office, Trump said the “Department of Defense” name doesn’t “sound good to me.”
“It used to be called the ‘Department of War’ — and it had a stronger sound,” he said. “And, as you know, we won World War I. We won World War II. We won everything.
“Now we have a ‘Department of Defense’ — we’re ‘defenders’,” he said.
During a press gathering on Monday, Aug. 25, Trump was flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The president said he was open to changing the agency’s name “back to what it was when we used to win wars all the time.”
“It’s coming soon, sir,” replied Hegseth.
Trump added that the name “Department of Defense” just “sounded bad.”
“I don’t want to be ‘defense’ only.” he said. “We want defense — but we want offense, too…as ‘Department of War,’ we won everything.”
That same day, Trump again spoke about changing the DOD’s name during his meeting in the Oval Office with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
“Between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” he said.
And once again, the president referenced winning both world wars under the “Department of War” title.
“To me, that’s really what it is. Defense is a part of that. But I have a feeling we’re going to be changing it.
“I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was ‘Department of War’ — then we changed to the ‘Department of Defense’.”
Sen. Mike Lee supports name change
The push to rename the Defense Department has been felt beyond the White House.
On his X account @BasedMikeLee last week, the Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted a video of Trump talking about changing the name of the Defense Department.
“I’m drafting a bill to restore the Department of War to its original name — the only name that captures the full range of America’s military capabilities,” wrote Lee.
A name change would likely require an act of Congress. But Trump has said he didn’t anticipate that being a hurdle.
“We’re just going to do it,” he told reporters last week. “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that.”
In the meantime, Trump will authorize the Pentagon to use “secondary titles” so the department can go by its original name, the Associated Press reported.
And last March, Hegseth used his X account to poll followers on their opinions on the emerging “Department of Defense” or “Department of War” debate.
More than 203,000 people voted — with 54% favoring the “Department of War.”
Since then, he has hinted that his title as defense secretary may not be permanent at multiple public events, including a speech at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Thursday. He told an auditorium full of soldiers that it “may be a slightly different title tomorrow,” according to the Associated Press.
The Department of Defense (DOD) is the United States’ largest government agency, tracing its roots back to pre-Revolutionary times. Operating on a $841+ billion budget, the department employs approximately 3.4 million service members and civilians.
The DOD’s mission, according to its website, “is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation’s security.”
The Department of War existed for 158 years, having been established by President George Washington in 1789. It was dissolved in the 1940s, with the different components becoming the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force, according to Newsweek.
The DOD was then renamed in 1949. That action formally established the structure under which the Army, Navy and Air Force departments operate under a single secretary.