The White House has confirmed that former President Donald Trump is expected to announce a proposal to rename the Department of Defense back to its historic title, the “Department of War,” a name last used before 1947.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, September 2, signals Trump’s ongoing efforts to reshape the image and priorities of the U.S. military.
According to multiple reports, including from the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is exploring the possibility of restoring the pre-1947 name of the United States military’s top department, despite the fact that such a change would likely require an act of Congress.
The Department of Defense was established under its current name in 1949 following a series of sweeping military reorganizations initiated after World War II.
Trump has nominated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Army officer and Fox News commentator, to become the proposed Secretary of War.
While the White House explores alternative legal pathways to push the rebrand without full congressional approval, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has filed an amendment to the annual defense policy bill formally proposing the name change.
However, the amendment still faces major legislative hurdles, including approval from the House Rules Committee.
Despite the uncertain path forward, the filing of the amendment suggests growing Republican support for the rebrand among certain factions in Congress.
Anna Kelly, White House Deputy Press Secretary, defended the proposal in a statement to Fox News:
“As President 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. Stay tuned!”
Trump first floated the idea during an August 25 media session in the Oval Office, stating that the former name carried more weight and better represented the military’s offensive capabilities.
“It used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound,” Trump said. “We want defense, but we want offense too. When it was the Department of War, we won everything World War I, World War II. I think we’re going to have to go back to that.”
The Department of War was created in 1789 and originally oversaw the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps until the Department of the Navy became a separate entity in 1798.
Following World War II, President Harry Truman led a major reorganization of the U.S. military, culminating in the 1947 National Security Act and its 1949 amendment, which officially renamed the War Department as the Department of Defense and created the modern unified military structure.
Truman at the time emphasized the need for better coordination across military branches, warning that outdated structures had hindered wartime efficiency.
“It is now time to take stock, to discard obsolete organizational forms and to provide… the most effective and economical kind of structure for our armed forces,” Truman told Congress in 1945.
The proposed name change is part of a broader effort by Trump and Secretary Hegseth to project a more aggressive military posture.
Their ongoing reforms include removing senior military leaders seen as misaligned with Trump’s vision and focusing on a shift away from what they describe as “woke ideology” within the armed forces.
While critics are likely to view the move as a symbolic gesture rooted in political branding, supporters argue it reflects a return to a more assertive and traditional military doctrine.
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