WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, describing the move as a message of victory to the world.
The Republican president stated that the current name, used for over 70 years, was too politically correct during a White House ceremony flanked by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
Trump explained to reporters in the Oval Office that the new name is more appropriate given the current global situation and reflects a stronger stance.
The designation harks back to the original War Department title used from 1789 until 1947, just after World War II.
Congressional approval is required for an official name change, but Trump’s order authorises the use of Department of War as a secondary title immediately.
Former Fox News host Hegseth enthusiastically embraced the change by posting a video showing a new Secretary of War nameplate on his Pentagon office door.
The combat veteran appointed by Trump to lead a department overhaul said the rebranding aims to restore warrior ethos rather than merely renaming the institution.
Hegseth emphasised maximum lethality over tepid legality and violent effect over political correctness in developing warriors instead of defenders.
Trump appeared to blame America’s military setbacks since World War II victories on the 1949 decision to adopt the Department of Defense name.
The president claimed America could have won every war but chose political correctness instead while signing his 200th executive order of his second term.
This rebranding forms part of Trump’s broader effort to project power domestically and internationally through his Make America Great Again policy.
Trump has ordered military buildups in the Caribbean against Venezuelan drug cartels and strikes on Iranian nuclear sites while deploying National Guard units domestically.
Democrats have criticised the move as a costly political stunt with potential billion-dollar price tags for updating agencies, emblems, and uniforms nationwide.
A Pentagon official told AFP that cost estimates will fluctuate as they implement Trump’s directive for establishing the Department of War name.
Trump had previewed the announcement for weeks, complaining that Department of Defense sounded too defensive and made America appear weak.
Hegseth has simultaneously criticised prior administrations for woke policies including transgender military service and base name changes under President Biden.
The original War Department was established in August 1789 to oversee the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps before the latter two branches split off a decade later. – AFP
