WATCH: Trump renames DOD to ‘Department of War’
What’s in a name? Military victories, according to the Trump administration.
The Department of Defense is reverting to its old name – the Department of War – per the president’s latest executive order. The department previously held the title from 1789 until 1947, and accrued many military successes over that period, most notably in World War I and World War II.
“Our nation won some of its greatest military victories under the direction of a secretary of war operating within a Department of War,” said White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf.
The order reinstates that name.
“This is something we’ve thought long and hard about. We’ve been talking about it for months,” the president said. “I think it’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now.”
President Donald Trump and his administration have taken up the mantle of “peace through strength,” a phrase President Ronald Reagan repeatedly used to describe his administration’s approach to defense policy. Trump believes the department’s resurrected name projects a strong and capable military more than the “Department of Defense.” And it’s not the only rhetorical change Trump has brought to the department.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has often referred to the “warrior ethos” and to soldiers as “war fighters,” intending to denote a departure from a “woke” military and a return to “lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.”
“This country won every major war after” the naming of the war department in 1789, “to include World War I and World War II. Total victory,” Hegseth said Friday. “Then 150 years after that, we changed the name… We haven’t won a major war since.”
The second half of the 20th century for the U.S. was marked by protracted wars that had no clear, decisive victory, like the Korean and Vietnam wars. That seemed to spill over into the 21st century with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This name change is not just about renaming. It’s about restoring. Words matter,” Hegseth said.
Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Latest News Stories
As Illinois ends grocery tax locals can replace, food inflation debate continues
North Carolina NYE terror attack foiled by FBI, several police departments
Beecher bids farewell to Chief Lemming following retirement
DeWine defends fraud safeguards at Ohio child care facilities
Illinois quick hits: State keeps more tax revenue, locals get less
Beecher Library Board Approves Annual Financial Report and CD Renewal
U.S. House vote on employee bargaining met with ‘political theater’ criticism
Hog producer: 2025 was strong, but IL legislature needs to address estate tax
Trump to remove National Guard members from Chicago, LA, Portland
Illinois’ compact fluorescent bulb ban begins to take effect
Illinois quick hits: SBA sues Chicago over online betting tax
Illinois Congressman: Millions face higher premiums despite GOP health bill
