Thread: Creepy: Trump & Hegseth Ready to Change DOD Defense Department's Name

Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth Ready to Change Defense Department's Name

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-hegse...ge-war-2118837

Summary:
August 25, 2025

President Donald Trump says he wants to change the name of the Department of Defense back to its original title: the Department of War.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, the president said, in part, "It just sounded bad to me, 'On behalf of the Department of Defense?' Defense? I don't want to be defense only. We want defense but we want offense, too, if that's OK. As the Department of War, we won everything, and I think we're going to have to go back to that."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing behind him, said, "That's coming soon, sir."

Trump quickly said, "You let me know if you want to do it."

The Pentagon carried that name until 1949 when it was rebranded amid post–World War II restructuring.

Why It Matters
Monday's discussion was not the first time the name change had been floated, with Hegseth looking at the idea in March as a way to better reflect the Trump administration's priorities.

What To Know
Speaking as part of an Oval Office media event for the signing of executive orders, Trump repeated the idea to rename the DOD to its old title, last used in 1947.

The Department of War existed for 158 years, having been established by President George Washington in 1789. It was dissolved in the 1940s, with the different components becoming the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.

The DOD was then renamed in 1949.

What Does the Department of Defense Do?
In its current form, the DOD oversees six U.S. armed forces, as well as the National Guard.

The DOD is the largest federal government agency, with over 3.4 million service members and civilians under its remit.

It is currently led by Hegseth, who has been vocal in his wishes to redefine what the department stands for and how it operates, often with the blessing of the president.

What Agencies Are Under the Department of Defense?
Under the DOD umbrella sits the U.S.' armed forces, namely the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard.

There are also several defense agencies under the control of the Pentagon, where the DOD is based. These include the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

It is not clear if any of these agencies or functions would change alongside a renaming.

What People Are Saying
Katherine Kuzminski, director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security told Newsweek: "Changing the department's name would not affect its legal authority nor its organizational structure. However, the rhetorical shift could complicate the Secretary of Defense's efforts to frame the DoD's current role in domestic homeland defense missions. Continuing to carry out domestic National Guard operations, border security missions, or support to immigration enforcement within the context of the Department of War could raise different political, perception, or legal challenges than the current construction as the Department of Defense."

President Donald Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Monday: "We're defenders. I don't know, if you people want to, standing being me, take a little vote, if you want to change it back to when we used to win wars all the time, that's OK with me."

What Happens Next
President Trump later said, during a meeting with the president of South Korea, that an official announcement would come in the next week or so.