White House moves forward on plans for a Department of War, says media report

The Trump administration is advancing plans to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday (August 30, 2025), citing a White House official, after U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect on Monday.

Restoring the Department of War name for the government’s largest department would likely require congressional action, but the White House is exploring alternative methods to implement the change, the report said.

Republican Representative Greg Steube of Florida filed an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would change the name of the department, indicating some Republican support in Congress for the change.

The White House gave no details, but underscored Trump’s comments this week emphasizing the U.S. military’s offensive capabilities.

“As President 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. Stay tuned!” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, using the initials DEI to refer to programs aimed at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mr. Trump raised the idea of rebranding the Defense Department as the “Department of War” while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying it “just sounded to me better.”

“It used to be called the Department of War and it had a stronger sound,” Mr. Trump said. “We want defense, but we want offense too … As Department of War we won everything, we won everything and I think we’re going to have to go back to that.”

The War Department became the Department of Defense through a gradual process, beginning with the National Security Act of 1947, which unified the Army, Navy, and Air Force under a single organization called the National Military Establishment.

An amendment to the law passed in 1949 officially introduced the name “Department of Defense,” establishing the structure in place today.

Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been working to promote a more aggressive image of the military while making a spate of other changes, including purging top military leaders whose views have been seen as being at odds with Trump.

The Trump administration has also sought to bar transgender individuals from joining the U.S. military and remove all who are currently serving.