BREAKING: Trump to sign EO to rename Pentagon ‘the Department of War’ on Friday

The directive will allow the agency’s original name to be used alongside the current “Department of Defense,” with Secretary Pete Hegseth to be referred to as “Secretary of War.” The order also instructs Hegseth to pursue legislative and executive steps to make the change permanent, Fox News reports.

As part of the rollout, public-facing websites and office signage at the Pentagon will be modified, including renaming the public affairs briefing room the “Pentagon War Annex.” Other implementation measures are expected to follow.

The initiative is part of the administration’s broader “warrior ethos” campaign within the Pentagon, which Trump and Hegseth have promoted in recent weeks.

“Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War,” Trump told reporters on August 25. “Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”

The White House confirmed Thursday that Trump would sign the order the following day.

In an Oval Office discussion earlier this week, Trump argued that the “Department of War” carried a “stronger sound” and signaled that the change would be made quickly. According to reports, the White House has been weighing different ways to implement the shift, since a permanent renaming would usually require congressional approval.

The War Department was created in 1789 to oversee the Army, while the Navy operated under its own department. Following World War II, President Harry Truman pushed to unify the armed services, leading to the 1947 National Military Establishment, which was renamed the Department of Defense two years later.

Trump has described the 1949 switch as an example of political correctness, while Hegseth has said the current title “just doesn’t sound right.”

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