President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order authorizing the Department of Defence to adopt the historic title “Department of War,” reviving a name last used in 1947.
The White House confirmed the move, which was first reported by Fox News, saying the rebranding reflects Trump’s effort to restore a “warrior ethos” to the military under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The order designates “Department of War” as an official secondary title for Defence officials, giving Hegseth and his deputies new titles such as “Secretary of War” and “Deputy Secretary of War.” A full legal renaming would still require an act of Congress.
On Friday, Republican lawmakers introduced the Department of War Restoration Act of 2025 to make the change permanent.
“Defence is too defencive. We want to be offensive too if we have to be,” Trump said during an Oval Office signing ceremony. He has previously argued that America “won everything” when the military operated under the War Department name.
The Pentagon has already embraced the shift, with Hegseth reportedly renaming his main conference space the “W.A.R. Room.” Hegseth defended the change as more than symbolic:
“The War Department is going to fight to win — not just to avoid losing,” he said.
The original War Department was established in 1789 to oversee the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. It was reorganized under the 1947 National Security Act, which created the Department of Defence, the Air Force, and the CIA.
If made permanent, the change would mark the first major rebranding of the Pentagon in more than 75 years.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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