U.S. President Trump to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump is directing that the Department of Defence be known as the Department of War.

He will sign an executive order on Friday for the defence department to use the new name as a secondary title and for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to be known as Secretary of War.

The Pentagon - which oversees the U.S. armed services - is the successor to the War Department, which was first established as a cabinet-level agency in 1789 and existed until 1947. The responsibility of creating executive departments rests with the U.S. Congress, meaning that an amendment would be required to legally change the department's name.

The BBC, which has reviewed the draft order, said it declares: “The name ‘Department of War’ conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to ‘Department of Defense,’ which emphasises only defensive capabilities.” The order also directs Secretary Hegseth to prepare legislative proposals to move toward a full renaming of the department.

The order further states that restoring the historic title "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".

The Department of War was established by George Washington but was rebranded following World War II.

President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have sought to refocus the department on "warfighting" and a "warrior ethos".

They have argued that the department has become too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes and "woke ideology".

The renaming marks the president's 200th executive order signed since he took office.

Although the renaming was somewhat expected, it comes on the heels of China unveiling a range of new weapons, drones and other military hardware in a massive parade that many interpreted as a clear message to the U.S. and its allies.

Sources: BBC



PUKMEDIA