Trump to rename Department of Defense and restore historic 'Department of War' through executive order

President Donald Trump is set to change the name of the "Department of Defense" back to the iconic "Department of War," bringing back the historic designation that was in place until 1949.

The news was exclusively revealed by Fox News Digital, which reported that this Friday, the president will sign an executive order to make official the restoration of the Pentagon's old name. According to the report, the order will also make the Secretary of Defense, namely Pete Hegseth, be recognized under the title "Secretary of War," in tune with what the Republican president had already publicly anticipated on previous occasions.

According to Fox News, the decision comes in the context of the campaign called "warrior ethos," driven from the White House and the Pentagon.

"Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was the Department of War," President Trump had told reporters on Aug. 25. "Then we changed it to Department of Defense."

Hegseth had also defended the move to reporters, "We won WWI, and we won WWII, not with the Department of Defense, but with a War Department, with the Department of War. As the president has said, we're not just defense, we're offense."

"We're reestablished at the Department the warrior ethos. We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy. We don't want endless contingencies and just playing defense. We think words and names and titles matter. So we're working with the White House and the president on it. Stand by," the Pentagon chief added at the time.

A Trump Administration official stated that the executive order will also instruct the Pentagon chief to propose legislative and executive actions to cement the new name "United States War Department permanently."

In addition, according to Fox News, modifications to official pages, internal signage, and even the renaming of the press briefing room as the "Pentagon War Annex" are contemplated.

Historically, the United States used the name War Department until the late 1940s. Then, following the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947, it was replaced by the Department of Defense amid the reforms that followed after World War II.

Although the signing of the order is a certainty, the move could open a debate in the federal Congress, as it is the body with the authority to establish federal executive departments. Trump, however, stated that the decision will probably not require legislative intervention.

"We're just going to do it. I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don't think we even need that," the president said.