Trump Signs Executive Order to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order rebranding the US Department of Defense as the Department of War, calling the old name “woke” and insisting the new title sends “a message of victory” and “strength.”

Although Congress must approve the change to make it permanent, the department has already switched its website to war.gov, and its social media handles reflect the new name. The office of Secretary Pete Hegseth now also displays a “Secretary of War” sign.

Hegseth defended the move, saying it was not “politically correct” but symbolized that the US military would “go on offence” and raise “warriors, not just defenders.”

Trump signed the order in the Oval Office on Friday, declaring:

“We won the First World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. Then we went woke and changed the name to Department of Defense. So we’re going Department of War.”

The president dismissed criticism that the change contradicts his peacemaking claims, insisting his “strength-based approach” has already “ended seven wars.”

The executive order also directs Secretary Hegseth to pursue legislation within 60 days to formalize the change.

The US War Department originally existed from 1789 to 1949 before it was renamed the Department of Defense to emphasize peace and conflict prevention after World War II.

Analysts estimate that reverting to the older name could cost tens of millions of dollars due to required updates to military signage, documents, and global bases.

This rebranding follows Trump’s previous renaming orders, including relabeling the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and restoring Denali in Alaska to its older name, Mount McKinley—moves that sparked criticism from both Mexico and Alaska’s senators.