Trump pushes to rename Department of Defense to the ‘Department of War’

14:38 26.08.2025 •

President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War,” News Nation Now reports.

“It used to be called the Department of War. It had a stronger sound… we are defenders,” Trump said from the Oval Office, surrounded by members of his Cabinet. “If you people behind me want to take a little vote and change it back to what it was when we used to win wars all the time, that’s OK with me… We want defense but we want offense too, OK?”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth replied, “It’s coming soon, sir.”

Under President George Washington, Congress established the U.S. War Department in 1789 to oversee the “operation and maintenance of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps,” according to the White House.

Fast-forward to 1949, and the National Security Act was amended, renaming the department the Department of Defense. The change also overturned the Cabinet-level statuses of Army, Navy and Air Force secretaries, making them report to the secretary of defense.

Trump made the remarks Monday after signing a pair of executive orders targeting the burning of the American flag and cashless bail in Washington, D.C.

The administration has been working on plans to deploy thousands of National Guard members to Chicago, according to published reports, coinciding with vocal opposition from Chicago’s mayor and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker against what they consider to be federal overreach.

The Guard mobilization in Chicago, if it does come to pass, would resemble the military presence Trump ordered in Washington, D.C., in an effort to combat crime and homelessness. National Guard troops have now been authorized to carry service weapons in the capital, the Pentagon said Sunday.

 

…While everyone is watching what Donald Trump is doing in the US foreign policy, he is facing а dangerous situation in the US itself. Mass protests are brewing across the country.

The army has already been brought into Washington. The same thing is happening in several other US states – Trump is sending troops there.

The question is what the change from defense to offense will mean? The Ministry of War sounds stronger indeed, but no less ominous. These are not just words, but also a new state policy associated with the growth of civil confrontation in the United States.

 

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