'Sends a message of victory': President Trump officially renames Defense Department to 'Department of War' to project' strength and resolve'

It's a done deal. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating the Department of Defense as the "Department of War," restoring the name the agency bore until 1949.

The measure, announced through a speech from the White House, seeks to project “strength and resolve” in a tense global context.

The Republican leader, during his speech in the Oval Office, noted, "I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends really a message of strength. We're very strong. We're much stronger than anyone would really understand."

He further noted, "We have the strongest military in the world. We have the greatest equipment in the world. We have the greatest men. New factories of equipment, by far. There's nobody to even compete."

For his part, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth noted, "We're going to raise up warriors, not just defenders. So this War Department, Mr. President, just like America, is back."

The order authorizes the secretary of defense to use the title "secretary of war" in official communications and ceremonies, and charges him with proposing legislative action to cement the change. During the signing in the Oval Office, Trump asserted that the name "Department of War" sends a "stronger message of readiness and resolve compared" to evoking U.S. triumphs in world wars.

Hegseth, meanwhile, had already signaled in January the intention to return to a "warrior ethos," promoting "maximum lethality" and an offensive approach that highlights US power.

Change made

Minutes after the Republican announcement, the Pentagon's website already reflects the change, moving to war.gov.

However, the decision has generated criticism. Democratic Senator Andy Kim called the change "childish," stating that "Americans want to prevent wars, not tout them," according to the BBC.