The Trump administration is weighing a proposal to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, following a suggestion made by President Trump earlier this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The White House confirmed efforts to rebrand the Pentagon, with plans to implement the name change, according to Fox News.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News the change comes amid a restoration of US military values.
"As President [Donald] Trump said, our military should be focused on offense — not just defense — which is why he has prioritized warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology," Kelly wrote in a statement.
The Department of War, originally established by Congress in August 1789 to manage the U.S. military, was briefly renamed the National Military Establishment after World War II before becoming the Department of Defense.
Restoring the historic "Department of War" title would likely require congressional approval. However, the White House is reportedly examining alternative paths to implement the change.
Republican Representative Greg Steube of Florida has introduced an amendment to the annual defense policy bill in support of the renaming, indicating some legislative backing.
Trump remarked that the Department of War “had a stronger sound,” suggesting the rebranding would better represent the military’s focus on both offense and defense. The department received its current name in 1949, following the National Security Act of 1947, which brought the Army, Navy, and Air Force under a unified command structure.
The administration has also implemented other military-related reforms, including leadership shake-ups and a ban on transgender individuals serving, moves that have sparked backlash from civil rights groups.
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