Trump suggests renaming Pentagon back to Department of War
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump suggested that the Department of Defense may soon return to its original name - the Department of War, according to The Telegraph and Ukrinform.
“When we won World War I, World War II, it was called the Department of War. And to me, that's really what it is,” Trump said.
According to him, everyone appreciates that the US had an incredible history of victories back when the Pentagon was the War Department. But later, the US renamed it the Department of Defense.
Trump said the department’s previous name sounded stronger, adding that more information about a possible change could emerge within the next few weeks.
The US president also noted he does not want to be limited only to defense.
“We want offense too.,” he stated.
US Department of War
For context, the US had a Department of War (or Military Department) until 1947. Established in 1789, it was responsible for managing the U.S. Army and all land operations.
After World War II, Congress passed the National Security Act of 1947. The War Department was abolished and replaced by the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.
To consolidate all branches of the military - Army, Navy, and Air Force - the Department of Defense was created, officially beginning operations in 1949.
In April, Donald Trump said he wants to spend $1 trillion on the US military.
“We are very cost conscious but the military is something that we have to build and we have to be strong because you have a lot of bad forces out there now,,” Trump said at the time.
