In a sweeping cultural shift, President Trump will reintroduce the title “Department of War,” renaming the Pentagon’s public face and empowering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “Secretary of War.”
US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order Friday resurrecting the iconic “Department of War” title as an official secondary designation for the Pentagon, Fox News Digital reports.
The move, part of the administration’s “warrior ethos” campaign, is aimed at restoring what Trump calls a “fighting spirit” to America’s armed forces.
A White House official confirmed the order will allow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be styled as “Secretary of War” and direct him to pursue both legislative and executive measures to make the change permanent. Pentagon signage, websites, and even the public affairs briefing room—which will be renamed the “Pentagon War Annex”—are slated for updates.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to validate the plan on X, posting a link to the report. Trump himself teased the move last week, declaring: “As Department of War, we won everything. We won everything. I think we’re going to have to go back to that.”
Pressed on whether Congress must authorize such a shift, Trump brushed aside concerns: “We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth strongly backed the change, saying during a cabinet meeting that “Defense Department just doesn’t sound right.” Reports indicate the administration’s long-term objective is to rebrand the Pentagon fully under the “Department of War” banner.
The Department of War was the official name of the US military’s governing body until 1949, when the National Security Act of 1947 created the modern Department of Defense. Trump’s move represents the most significant symbolic change to US military identity in decades.
