JUST IN: Trump Moves To Rename The Defense Department

President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Friday that will formally revert the Department of Defense back to its original name, the Department of War.

Since returning to office, Trump has argued that the old name projects more strength on numerous occasions. The president first made mention of a possible title change for Defense Secretary Hegseth during the NATO summit earlier this year, where he gave a short history lesson, thinking aloud about using a title for the cabinet position that hasn’t been used in over 80 years.

“You know, it used to be called Secretary of War,” Trump said during his talk.

On Thursday, Trump moved to shift the idea into an action by instructing the defense secretary to propose legislative and executive actions to make “US Department of War” the official name of the DoD. Hegseth will also be authorized to use the title “Secretary of War” in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial settings and in non-statutory documents, the New York Post reported.

Federal departments and agencies will also be required to “recognize and accommodate” the new secondary titles in their own documents and communications.

The Department of War was the previous name for the DoD from the nation’s founding until 1947, when the Army and Air Force departments were split by an act of Congress to form the National Military Executive with the standalone Navy Department. The National Military Executive did not formally change to the Department of Defense until two years later in 1949.

“The United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world, and the President believes this Department should have a name that reflects its unmatched power and readiness to protect national interests,” a White House fact sheet on the upcoming order reads.

Trump intends for the name change to project “strength and resolve” in service of his “peace through strength” agenda. “‘Defense’ is too defensive,” Trump argued. “We want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive, too if we have to be,” Trump said in the Oval Office last month.

“We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that,” the president added in reference to a name change.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has already introduced legislation to codify the name change into law. “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,” Lee posted on X last month.