Department of Defense Rebranded as Department of War

On Friday, September 5th, President Trump signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This order makes the historic name a secondary title, which allows the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and related officials to be referred to as the Department of War and Secretary of War in official communications. Ms.Tajaddini, a Peace Studies teacher at B-CC, said, “It is interesting to see how President Trump campaigned on being a president to end the ‘endless wars,’ yet he renamed the Department of Defense as the Department of War. For decades, no matter the administration, the United States has intervened militarily in other countries’ affairs, whether it is by sending weapons, drone strikes, or troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. For the majority of my lifetime, and for our students, the U.S. has been at war.” Ms. Tajaddini continued to say, “I feel that we as a country should focus on the alternatives to war and peacebuilding. I propose we have a Department of Peace that focuses on conflict resolution and other alternatives to violence and militarism.” This department was originally named the Department of War in 1789, the same year the Constitution took effect. It was then renamed by law as the Department of Defense in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. Only Congress can legally enact a permanent name change; this executive order merely authorizes limited use of the old title. Ms.Tajaddini feels “it is sending a message to other countries that the United States government outwardly is pro-war.”