WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday to change the name of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.” He thinks this name better reflects the mission and history of the U.S. military. Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that the new name “sends a message of victory” and is “a much more appropriate name in light of where the world is right now.”
A vote from Congress is needed to change the name officially, but the President’s executive order lets the administration and military leadership use the name “Department of War” as a “secondary title.” This means they can use the new name in official correspondence. This is a big change from the old name, which has been around since 1949.
The new name is a direct reference to the first War Department, which was set up in 1789 by President George Washington and was in charge of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The Navy and Marines later became their own department, and the original War Department only took care of the Army and Air Force.
The name “Department of Defense” was given to the agency in 1949 as part of a significant restructure after World War II. The National Security Act of 1947 brought the Army, Navy, and Air Force together under one roof, which was first termed the National Military Establishment. The name was changed to “Defense” on purpose because the U.S. was about to begin the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Historian Melvyn Leffler says that the choice to use the word “defense” instead of “war” was meant to stress a policy of deterrence rather than aggression in the nuclear age.
Trump, on the other hand, has criticized the “defensive” label, saying he wants to be recognized for “offense too.” He also said that the name change was related to how he thinks the U.S. hasn’t done as well in previous wars. “We could have won every war, but we really chose to be very politically correct or wokey,” he added. He was implying that the moniker “defense” has made it harder for the military to win wars since World War II.
The President’s “Make America Great Again” program includes the rebranding, which is meant to send a message of strength and might around the world. People who think the new name means a shift toward a more assertive and isolationist foreign policy are likely to criticize it.