The Trump administration is reportedly considering restoring the Pentagon’s original name, the Department of War, according to the Wall Street Journal. While such a change would require congressional approval, the White House is exploring alternatives. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced an amendment to the annual defense policy bill to rename the department, indicating some congressional support. A Pentagon spokesperson argued that the title “Department of War” better reflects the military’s offensive capabilities. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly emphasized Trump’s focus on offense over diversity initiatives and “woke ideology,” noting that the president previously highlighted the name change as a way to reinforce military strength.
The War Department was the U.S. military’s central authority from the country’s founding until 1947. President George Washington’s first Cabinet included the State, Treasury, Attorney General, and War Departments. Following World War II, President Harry Truman reorganized the military into a unified structure, creating the National Military Establishment via the National Security Act of 1947. This act established the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Air Force, with James Forrestal confirmed as the first director. The establishment was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949.
Separately, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse was dismissed as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency after a preliminary DIA assessment suggested that U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites only delayed its program by months. Deputy Director Christine Bordine is now acting director. The assessment, which was leaked, provoked strong reactions from Trump, who described the report as an attempt to “demean one of the most successful military strikes in history” and insisted that Iran’s nuclear sites were “completely destroyed.” Special envoy Steve Witkoff called any claims of U.S. failure “completely preposterous.” The developments highlight the administration’s emphasis on military strength and offensive capabilities, both symbolically in the proposed renaming of the Pentagon and operationally in recent actions in Iran.
