WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2025, President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order today, reverting the Department of Defense back to its historic name, the Department of War, marking a significant shift in U.S. military identity. The announcement, first reported by Fox News and echoed on X by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) on Thursday at 22:28 UTC, aligns with Trump’s vision of restoring an offensive “warrior ethos” to the Pentagon.
The proposed change harkens back to the agency’s original title, used until 1949 when President Harry Truman renamed it under the National Security Act of 1947 to consolidate military oversight. Trump hinted at the move on August 25, telling reporters, “Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, already dubbed “Secretary of War” by Trump, echoed this sentiment on “Fox & Friends,” stating, “We won WWI and WWII with a War Department… We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy.”
The executive order, Trump’s 200th in his second term, will introduce “Department of War” as a secondary title alongside the existing name, with plans to update Pentagon signage and websites, including renaming the public affairs briefing room the “Pentagon War Annex.” A White House fact sheet suggests Hegseth will propose further legislative and executive actions to make the change permanent.
However, the move faces potential hurdles. Congress, which established the Department of Defense by law, may need to approve the rename, though Trump asserted on August 25, “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that.” The rebranding could also carry a hefty price tag, with private-sector rebrands costing between $1,500 and $2,000, and government-scale updates likely to escalate significantly, according to industry estimates.
This proposal follows recent military nomenclature debates, including the 2023 renaming of nine Army bases to remove Confederate ties, a process completed under the Naming Commission. The shift has sparked mixed reactions on X, with supporters like @1Cmacman praising it as a “strategic reset” against global threats, while critics like @Michael0Hoss label it “authoritarian overreach.”
As the nation watches, today’s executive order could redefine the Pentagon’s mission—and its identity—for years to come.