Trump Proposes Renaming Department of Defense to Department of War, Citing Military ‘Warrior Ethos’
Former President Donald Trump has announced plans to restore the Department of Defense’s historical title, the Department of War, signaling that the change could occur as soon as next week. The proposal echoes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to revive what he calls the military’s “warrior ethos,” and both men have expressed frustration over the mid-20th-century shift away from the department’s original name.
The Department of War was established in 1789 to oversee the U.S. Army. In 1949, under the National Security Act, it was renamed the Department of Defense to reflect a broader mission encompassing unified military command and collective security during the Cold War. The change emphasized defense and cooperation rather than purely offensive military operations.