President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Friday that would rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, according to White House officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday.
White House sources confirmed the plans to the AP on condition of anonymity since the change has not yet been announced. The timing of the proposed change was first reported by Fox News.
The order is expected to advance changes to the department's title and the titles of certain officials in public communications, letters and other specific applications. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for example, may be referred to as the Secretary of War.
On Thursday, Sec. Hegseth appeared to corroborate the proposed title change in a post on social media.
DEPARTMENT OF WAR https://t.co/uyAZGiklRi
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 4, 2025
A full formal change of name for the department would require a new law passed through Congress. It is not clear if there is sufficient political support in the legislature to enact such a change.
The agency was originally established as the Department of War in 1789, to maintain the U.S. Army.
It was split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force in 1947, as part of the National Military Establishment. In 1949, the collective military departments, including the Department of the Navy, were renamed as the Department of Defense.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
