Donald Trump is preparing to authorize another contentious executive order today (September 5).
He has a history of rapidly issuing executive orders, having signed several with his distinctive signature shortly after resuming his presidential duties in January.
Many of these have sparked controversy, with his ‘big beautiful bill’ serving as a notable example.
Now, he is on the brink of signing a new order that will rename the Pentagon for the first time in many years, changing it from the Department of Defense (DOD).
The current administration intends for the DOD to be renamed the Department of War, according to documents reviewed by the BBC.
The order reportedly claims: “The name ‘Department of War’ conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to ‘Department of Defense,’ which emphasizes only defensive capabilities.”
The directive also tasks Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with proposing legislative and executive measures to make the name change to US Department of War permanent.
In a discussion with Fox News about the upcoming change, Hegseth said: “We won WWI, and we won WWII, not with the Department of Defense, but with a War Department, with the Department of War. As the president has said, we’re not just defense, we’re offense.”
He continued: “We’ve reestablished at the Department the warrior ethos. We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy.
“We don’t want endless contingencies and just playing defense. We think words and names and titles matter. So, we’re working with the White House and the president on it. Stand by.”
While Hegseth strongly supports the name change, many other Americans do not share his enthusiasm.
“This is so stupid and it’s going to make us a laughing stock in front of both our allies and our enemies,” one Twitter user expressed.
“Renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, because it is more intimidating to our adversaries, is stupid,” echoed another.
Someone else questioned: “I don’t understand why he wants to do this? Just a whim?”
“Changing the name of DoD to Department of War is dumb for lots of reasons, but not least of which is it’s just a huge waste of money,” argued a different individual.
Others drew parallels between this proposed name change and Trump’s earlier controversial decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a change the administration claimed became ‘official’ in January.
What are your thoughts on the potential renaming of the DOD to the Department of War?