WSJ: Trump team explores renaming Pentagon as Department of War

According to officials, restoring the Pentagon’s former name could be done through an act of Congress, though the White House is also considering alternative ways of introducing the change. Recently, US President Donald Trump publicly raised the issue, suggesting that the country may need to return to the old title.

Former officials noted that in the early weeks of Trump’s second term, the Pentagon began drafting legislative proposals to amend the department’s name. One idea involved requesting congressional authority to restore the old title in the event of a national emergency, along with reviving the post of Secretary of War as the top civilian leader of the department.

Trump hints at Department of War

This week, Trump alluded to the possibility of renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War.

Until 1947, the United States had a War Department, established in 1789, which was responsible for overseeing the Army and all land operations. After World War II, the National Security Act of 1947 abolished the War Department, creating instead the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. To unify the armed services, the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Department of Defense was established in 1949.