Trump Pushes to Rename Pentagon as ‘Department of War’

The Trump administration is advancing plans to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing a White House official. President Donald Trump first floated the idea on Monday, calling the old name “stronger.”

Restoring the historic title would likely require congressional approval, but the White House is exploring alternative options, according to the report. Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida has already filed an amendment to the annual defense policy bill in support of the change.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly underscored Trump’s remarks, saying: “Our military should be focused on offense – not just defense – which is why he has prioritized warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology. Stay tuned!”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the Defense Department’s original name carried greater weight. “It used to be called the Department of War and it had a stronger sound,” he said. “As Department of War we won everything … I think we’re going to have to go back to that.”

The War Department was rebranded after the National Security Act of 1947, which unified the Army, Navy, and Air Force under the National Military Establishment. A 1949 amendment renamed it the Department of Defense, creating the structure that exists today.

The push to revive the old title comes as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seek to project a more aggressive military posture, while reshaping the Pentagon’s leadership and policies. The administration has also pursued controversial measures, including banning transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces — a move civil rights groups call discriminatory.