Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday renaming the Department of Defense the "Department of War." The move is part of a series of moves aimed at rehabilitating military symbols.

Donald Trump formalized a historic change on Friday. According to CNN, the US president signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense the "Department of War." This symbolic decision marks a return to the name used until 1949, when Harry S. Truman reorganized the US military in the aftermath of World War II.

During an exchange with journalists last August, the President of the United States had already hinted that such a move was in the works. "We call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we'll change the name," he said from the Oval Office. "Defense is too defensive, and we also want to be offensive." He added: "We won World War I and World War II – it was the Department of War, and to me that's really what it is. Defense is part of that, but I have a feeling we're going to change."

“Words matter. Titles matter.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday during a trip to Fort Benning that the announcement of the Pentagon's name change was imminent. "I would say wait until tomorrow," he said. He justified this choice by a desire to reconnect with the legacy of the founders: "Words matter. Titles matter. Cultures matter. And George Washington founded the War Department."

Historically, this department was established in 1789 to oversee the U.S. Army. It disappeared in 1949 following the passage of the National Security Act, which consolidated the Army, the Navy, and the new Air Force into a single structure: the Department of Defense, headed by a civilian secretary of state.

Rehabilitating military symbols

More broadly, this move is part of a series of initiatives by the Trump administration to rehabilitate certain military symbols. Pete Hegseth had already reversed several decisions made by Joe Biden, notably reinstating the names of bases like Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, while assigning them new historical figures bearing the same surnames. In June, he also ordered the renaming of a Navy ship after gay rights activist and Navy veteran Harvey Milk.

CNN points out, however, that a precedent of this magnitude required an act of Congress. It remains to be seen whether this presidential decree will be enough to force the return of the "War Department."