Trump Rebrands US Department of Defense as ‘Department of War’

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defence the Department of War.

Following the signature on Friday, Trump labeled the new title a "much more" appropriate name, especially considering the current security environment.

"We won the First World War, we won the Second World War. We have the strongest military in the world, greatest equipment in the world. We are the greatest manufacturers of equipment, by far," he added.

Trump reiterated that the renaming is meant to send a message of "victory" and "strength" to the rest of the world.

"We are very strong. We are much stronger than anyone would really understand," he added.

The previous president also repeated his boast of having concluded seven international wars.

"I've gotten peace because of the fact that we are strong. They happened for two reasons: trade and our strength. Those are the two reasons. And probably strength may be more important than trade," he noted.

Alongside Trump, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called the action an attempt to "restore the warrior ethos."

"The War Department's going to fight decisively, not endless conflicts. It's going to fight to win, not to lose. We're gonna go on offence, not just on defence. We're going to raise up warriors, not just defenders," he added.

But under federal law, Trump can't unilaterally rename the department and would need an OK from Congress.

When questioned as to whether he intends to ask lawmakers to approve, Trump replied: "He'll put it before Congress."

"We're signing an executive order today, but we're going to find out. Let me see if they do. We're going with it, and we're going with it very strongly. We'll put it before Congress," the US President added.

The War Department was originally created in 1789 to oversee military affairs. It kept that name until 1947, when President Harry Truman's National Security Act reorganized the armed forces, splitting the Army and Air Force and joining them with the Navy to form an integrated department.

Congress changed its name to the Department of Defence in 1949 to mark a post–World War II emphasis on national security and deterrence.