On Friday, September 5, 2025, as previously announced, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order at the White House to change the name of the United States federal government department – the Department of Defense – to the Department of War. Accordingly, the current Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was designated Secretary of War. More interestingly, as emphasized in the order, these are secondary names. Only a federal law passed by both houses of Congress can legally and formally change the department’s name and the secretary’s title; therefore, the Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense remain the only official titles.
Image: U.S. Department of War via Facebook
The executive order, the 200th signed by President Trump since taking office, authorizes Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and officials under his authority at the Department of Defense to use secondary titles such as 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, according to a fact sheet released by the White House press office.
In addition, the order directs all executive agencies and departments to recognize and incorporate these secondary titles in both internal and external communications, and instructs Hegseth to recommend measures, including executive and legislative actions, that would be required to change the department’s name permanently.
“The name ‘Department of War conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to “Department of Defense,” which emphasizes only defensive capabilities.” the fact sheet reads.
“Restoring the name ‘Department of War’ will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests.” it continues.
Before signing the executive order, Trump said, “This is something we have thought about long and hard; we have talked about it for months.”
He added that under the original Department of War, the United States achieved military victories in both world wars; however, those victories turned into more protracted conflicts that often ended in a kind of stalemate after the Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense.
Video: White House
Hegseth agreed with Trump’s statement.
“After World War II, we changed the name from the Department of War to the Department of Defense and… since then we haven’t won any major war,” Hegseth said.
“And this is not about discrediting our soldiers… It’s about recognizing that this name change is not just a change of name, but a restoration; words matter,” he continued.
The Secretary added that the Department of War would fight decisively for victory and would not sink into endless conflicts.
The Department of War (United States Department of War, also called the War Department or occasionally the War Office) was originally established by Congress on August 7, 1789, the same year the U.S. Constitution came into effect. It replaced the Board of War and Ordnance, created in 1776 during the War of Independence. The Department of War oversaw both the Army and Navy until 1798, when the Department of the Navy was established. The first civilian Secretary of War was retired Army General Henry Knox, appointed by President George Washington. Fort Knox in Kentucky is named after him. On November 8, 1800, the War Department building in Washington burned down, along with all departmental records.
During the Civil War, the department was responsible for recruiting, training, supply, medical care, transport, and payment for two million soldiers. The name Department of War remained in use for more than 150 years, until it was merged with the Department of the Navy and the newly created Department of the Air Force to form the National Military Establishment under the National Security Act of 1947. In 1949, the National Military Establishment was reorganized into the Department of Defense.
Photo: Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase, USAF
MILMAG Commentary
The Trump administration’s decision, although at first glance it looks like the restoration of the old name, is not in fact such—because it requires the approval of Congress. A similar situation occurred with the renaming of U.S. Army bases: on February 10, Fort Liberty in North Carolina became Fort Roland L. Bragg, and on March 3, Fort Moore became Fort Benning.
The old names honoring Confederate generals were not restored, as a congressional act prohibits their use. Thus, instead of commemorating, as before, General Braxton Bragg, we now have Private Roland L. Bragg, and instead of General Henry Lewis Benning, we have Corporal Fred G. Benning. No one denies either soldier’s wartime merits, which are indisputable, but posthumously they became part of political maneuvering.
Similarly, in the case of the Department of War, without congressional approval it remains a secondary name, while the primary and official one is still the Department of Defense. The changes can so far be seen on the Department’s website, whose domain is now: https://www.war.gov/, as well as on social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).