US President Trump has signed an order that the American Department of Defense, widely known as the Pentagon, be known as the Department of War.
This is a secondary title, that will be added to the existent name.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will now be known as Secretary of War.
The War Department actually was known as the War Department until 1947, and was established in 1789 by George Washington.
In any case the Pentagon has always overseen the US armed services. But the restoration shows a clear American willingness to engage in war.
“The name ‘Department of War’ conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to ‘Department of Defense,’ which emphasizes only defensive capabilities”, writes the executive order.
It’s meant to “project strength and resolve”.
But there’s a catch – Trump cannot formally the change of the department with congressional approval, and therefore the order includes instructions towards Hesgeth to recommend and include a legal amendment.
Hesgeth sings a similar song to that of Trump, praising a “warrior ethos”.
According to the executive order, restoring its name “will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests”.
US media expects the overhaul would cost up to one billion dollars.
“All I can do is put out wars”, said Trump on CBS, paradoxically.
Commentators have pointed out that the change took immediate place after China held a huge parade for its range of new weapons, drones and other military hardware.
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