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The US Department of Defense has been renamed as the Department of War as a secondary title, under an executive order newly signed by US President Donald Trump.
Under the executive order, the 200th signed by President Trump while in office, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and DOD subordinate officials are to use secondary titles like “Department of War”, “Secretary of War” and “Deputy Secretary of War” in public communications, official correspondence, ceremonial contexts and non-statutory documents within the executive branch.
The new title is reportedly designed to convey a stronger message of readiness and resolve, as well as a more offensive capability compared to the current “Department of Defense”, according to the order.
“This is something (we’ve) thought long and hard about; we’ve been talking about it for months,” US President Trump reportedly said during the signing.
Under the order, all executive agencies and departments are instructed to recognise and accommodate these secondary titles in internal and external communications.
US Secretary of Defense Hegseth said the War Department would fight decisively to win and not get bogged down in endless conflicts.
“We changed the name after World War II from the Department of War to the Department of Defense and … we haven’t won a major war since,” Hegseth said.
“And that’s not to disparage our warfighters … That’s to recognise that this name change is not just about renaming, it’s about restoring; words matter.
“Maximum lethality, not tepid legality; violent effect, not politically correct.”
A War Department had previously been established by the US Congress in August 1789 to replace the Board of War and Ordnance created in 1776 during the Revolutionary War.
