Trump Signs Executive Order Rebranding Department of Defense as the ‘Department of War’

President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, directing that the Department of Defense be renamed as the "Department of War."

"I think it's a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now," Trump said. "We have the strongest military in the world, we have the greatest equipment in the world... every element of the military we make the best, by far."

Trump then invited his "Secretary of War" to say a few words. The Executive Order authorizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use the title “Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House fact sheet viewed by TIME.

Speaking at the signing, Hegseth said: "This name change isn't just about renaming, it's about restoring. Words matter.... it's restoring the warrior ethos. Restoring victory and clarity as an end state. Restoring intentionality to the use of force."

The Defense Secretary went on to say that the War Department is "going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct."

The Executive Order instructs the Secretary of War to recommend actions, to include legislative and executive actions, required to permanently rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

Department name changes require approval from Congress. Until approval is obtained, the "Department of War" is set to serve as a secondary title.

As the Republicans hold slight majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, Trump is unlikely to encounter much pushback.

When asked by a reporter how much the rebrand might cost, in light of the Trump Administration's position re: cutting back on spending, Trump didn't respond with any exact figures.

"Not a lot. We know how to rebrand without having to go crazy. We don't have to re-carve a mountain or anything, we're going to be doing it not in the most expensive... we're going to start changing the stationery as it comes through and lots of things like that," Trump said.

Read More: Why Pete Hegseth’s Troubles Are Giving Republicans Heartburn

Ahead of the signing ceremony, Hegseth had teased the departmental rebranding. Upon leaving the Joint Base Andrews military facility in Maryland on Thursday, he told reporters: “Thank you for traveling with the War Department!”

Meanwhile, Trump has previously said that the “Department of War “sounded better” and stronger.

"We want defense, but we want offense, too ... As Department of War we won everything, we won everything and I think we're going to have to go back to that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Aug. 25.

In the 1940s, the Department of Defense was given its current name, and department officials were titled in accordance. It was approved by Congress as part of the National Security Act Amendments of 1949. The DOD had previously been called the Department of War.

The reversion back to its former title is the latest in a series of name changes under the Trump Administration.

Shortly after returning to the White House for his second term, Trump signed an Executive Order to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.”

“I am very honored to recognize Feb. 9, 2025, as the first ever Gulf of America Day,” Trump said in a White House proclamation.

The Trump Administration went on to change the name of seven U.S. army bases in June. The facilities were previously named after Confederate general officers, but were changed in 2022 under the Congress-formed Naming Commission, approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of the Biden Administration. Trump reverted back to the names honoring confederates.