“War Department”: Trump renames the Pentagon

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order this Friday granting the Department of Defense the title of “Department of War”. The American leader declared that this step “sends a message of strength and victory much stronger than anyone could truly understand.”

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The news comes shortly after Fox News reported yesterday, citing a White House official, that the change would be implemented this September 5th and the rest of the Executive Branch would be instructed to use the new denomination for its future communications, and refer to the current head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, as “Secretary of War”. The Administration source also specified that the name would be assigned as a “secondary title”, in order to avoid the need for Congress to formally approve the change, and that it would urge Hegseth to propose legislative and executive actions to permanently change the office to the “U.S. Department of War.” “I’m sure Congress will agree if necessary. I don’t think we even need it,” Trump affirmed last week. According to The New York Times, the measure was expected some time ago and is part of Trump’s promise to align the mission of the Armed Forces with his goal of projecting a more aggressive image. The newspaper emphasizes that the term ‘Department of War’ was used by the U.S. to refer to its military agency for more than 150 years, until shortly after World War II. “That was the name when we won World War I. We won World War II. We won everything. And to me it seems much more appropriate,” the president assured.