With a name change, Trump has the Pentagon on a war footing

Published September 12, 2025 5:20am ET



President Donald Trump’s Sept. 5 executive order authorizing the Defense Department to “be known as” the War Department until he can cajole Congress into changing the name officially is more than just a manifestation of Trump’s affinity for the good old days. It’s a rebranding effort designed to project a more muscular version of U.S. military might — Trump’s vision of “peace through strength.”

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