Trump To Sign Executive Order Rebranding Defense Department As The Department Of War

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will motion an executive bid Friday adding nan "Department of War" arsenic nan secondary title of the Defense Department, 2 White House officials told NBC News.

The order, which Trump is expected to motion successful nan Oval Office, won't rename nan Defense Department but it will authorize Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to usage secondary titles for illustration nan “Secretary of War” and “Department of War” successful charismatic correspondence, nationalist communications and during general ceremonies, according to a White House preview of nan executive order.

All executive departments and agencies will beryllium required by Trump to “recognize and accommodate these secondary titles successful soul and outer communications.”

Officially changing nan department's sanction would require legislature approval. Congress established it arsenic nan War Department successful 1789.

President Harry Truman oversaw nan sanction alteration of nan Department of War to nan National Military Establishment aft signing nan National Security Act of 1947, which organized each subject services into a azygous statement led by a caput of defense. Prior to that point, nan Department of War, Navy and nan Air Force operated separately.

In 1949, nan National Security Act was amended to alteration nan sanction of nan caller agency from nan National Military Establishment to nan Department of Defense amid concerns that nan abbreviations of nan erstwhile sanction (NME) sounded excessively akin to "enemy."

Trump's bid will instruct Hegseth to urge legislative and executive actions to permanently revert nan sanction to Department of War.

Trump had for months signaled an liking successful changing nan sanction to its 18th period iteration, decrying its existent 1 arsenic not bellicose enough.

The Department of War, Trump said successful nan Oval Office past month, "had a stronger sound" and an "unbelievable history of victory" attached to it, pointing to American victories successful World War 1 and World War II.

"I don’t want to beryllium defense only. We want defense, but we want discourtesy too," Trump said. "As Department of War, we won everything."

Hegseth, who Trump has antecedently addressed arsenic nan "Secretary of War," has been a vocal proponent of changing nan sanction arsenic well. He said astatine a Cabinet gathering past period that it will thief cement a "warrior ethos" successful nan department.

Following a travel to Fort Benning, Ga., connected Thursday evening, Hegseth teased nan general rebrand upon his return to Washington.

“Thanks for walking pinch nan War Department," Hegseth said to nan reporters that accompanied him connected nan trip.