“Warrior Ethos” To Be Championed By Trump As Department Of Defense Becomes “Department Of War”
on Sep 05, 2025
The Department Of Defense Is To Be Renamed By Trump Through An Executive Order
For several months now, President Donald Trump has been floating the notion of renaming the Department of Defense, which received its current name in 1949, favoring its original distinction as the Department of War.
This came up most recently during an executive order signing on August 25 in the Oval Office, where Trump expounded on his own interest in changing the name, saying:
“Defense? I don’t want to be defense only. We want defense, but we want offense, too, if that’s OK.”
Further, Trump said, “It sounded better.”
Now, on Friday, September 5, Trump is expected to sign an executive order issuing the name of the Department of War as a secondary title for the Department of Defense, allowing for Congress to make the name change official.
As a result, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will go on to be the secretary of war.
Notably, this executive order — which is scheduled to be announced by Trump at 4 p.m. — will be Trump’s 200th since being sworn in as the 47th president.
Changes are also expected to come to the Pentagon, which houses the Department of Defense, as its public affairs briefing room will be dubbed the “Pentagon War Annex.”
Related: How Many Wars Has Trump Ended In His Second Term?
Trump And Hegseth Speak On The Department Of War
“Somehow, it didn’t sound good to me,” Trump said in the Oval Office while signing executive orders on August 25. “Defense. Why are we defense? So it used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound, and, as you know, we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything. Now, we have a Department of Defense — we’re defenders.”
From 1789 to 1947, the Department of War oversaw the management of the United States Army.
Prior to the National Security Act of 1947, each branch of the armed forces had its own leadership, but the Act unified the branches under the purview of a new position: secretary of defense.
From 1947 to 1949, it was known as the National Military Establishment.
Trump then quipped that his cabinet members should “take a little vote” to consider changing the Department of Defense “to what it was when we used to win all the time.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth then replied, “That’s common sense, sir.”
Watch Trump speak on the potential name change on August 25, here:
The next day, the subject came up again during the August 26 Cabinet meeting, with Hegseth saying:
“Here’s what people miss: it’s not just about words, it’s about the warrior ethos. George Washington started the Department of War because he wanted us to win our wars. Our founders didn’t want endless foreign entanglements. They didn’t want endless contingencies and deployments, they wanted an empowered military — the handcuffs were taken off to fight to win.”
Hegseth then noted that when he was stationed at Guantanamo Bay in 2003 with the Army National Guard, their motto was, “Those who long for peace, must prepare for war.”
Continuing, he said, “We don’t want war, we don’t seek it. You [Trump] are the peace president, sir. Because we are strong, our enemies know what we will do, and so whether it’s ‘secretary of war’ or ‘secretary of defense,’ that warrior ethos is changing.”
Trump added, “I think I like Department of War better, but we’ll make that decision, right?”
Watch Hegseth’s August 26 remarks on the “warrior ethos” and potential name change for his department, here:
Related: “Peace Through Strength” Touted By Trump As He Addresses U.S. Troops In Middle East
This is a developing story. Country Rebel will provide more information as it becomes available.
