Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War, as he recently promised, the White House announced Thursday.
The Republican U.S. president’s order aims to “restore the historic name of the Department of War” and includes measures to implement this change, the White House clarified.
Returning to the old name for the largest U.S. department would normally require approval from Congress. The Department of War was originally established by George Washington but was renamed after World War II.
The White House has not yet disclosed how much a permanent rebranding would cost, but U.S. media outlets expect the expenses to reach billions of dollars to overhaul hundreds of agencies, emblems, email addresses, uniforms, and other items—potentially complicating the Pentagon’s efforts to reduce spending and waste.
Trump has repeatedly promoted the idea, arguing that the U.S. had “an incredible history of victories” in both world wars under the previous name. He also expressed optimism that lawmakers would support such a change.
“I am confident that Congress will agree,” the president said last week.
Trump and Secretary of Defense Mark Hegseth have sought to refocus the department on “combat operations” and the “warrior ethos.” They argue the department has been overly focused on diversity, equity, inclusion programs, and “woke ideology.”
