US President Donald Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defence to the Department of War, the White House announced on Thursday, after the US leader repeatedly insisted the rebrand would project a more powerful image.
Trump will sign an executive order permitting the use of the Department of War as a “secondary title” for the sprawling department, a White House document said, apparently due to its official name being set in law. That signing was expected to take place on Friday, according to a White House official.
The name change “conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve,” the document said.
The order would authorise Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Defence Department and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as “Secretary of War”, “Department of War”, and “Deputy Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications.
US President Donald Trump speaks about Javelin anti-tank missiles next to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House in August. Photo: Reuters
The move would instruct Hegseth to recommend legislative and executive actions required to make the renaming permanent.