The White House has confirmed it is moving forward with a plan to rebrand the Pentagon, with officials saying the Department of Defense will once again be called the Department of War, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The original Department of War was created in 1789 to oversee the country’s armed forces. Its name was altered after World War II to the National Military Establishment, before being changed again to the Department of Defense.
Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly explained to Fox News that the move reflects an effort to bring back traditional American military principles.
“As President [Donald] Trump said, our military should be focused on offense — not just defense — which is why he has prioritized warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology,” Kelly wrote in a statement. “Stay tuned!”
This announcement followed comments from Trump earlier in the week, where he indicated the adjustment was coming soon.
“You know, we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” the president said at the White House earlier in the week. “You want to know the truth, I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon.”
He also pointed to the legacy of the department’s original name, stressing its association with decisive victories.
“We won World War I [and] World War II. It was called the Department of War. To me, that’s really what it is,” he said. “I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”
Since Congress is responsible for authorizing executive departments, a legal change would require an amendment, although Trump suggested he may not see that as necessary.
“I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that. But, if we need that, I’m sure Congress will go along,” Trump said. “Defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. So, it just sounded to me like a better name.”
At this stage, the president could either push legislation to formally establish the new title or move ahead with an unofficial rebranding on his own.
{Matzav.com}
