“Department of War” emerges from the mothball fleet of disused agency names.
Brandishing his customary Sharpie, President Donald Trump decreed a name change last week for the Department of Defense. Taking counsel from alt-right activist and military expert Laura Loomer, Trump signed an executive order renaming the DoD as the Department of War.
Insiders say that as the Department of War the agency will more aptly reflect the mission of the single most costly department in the federal government, with a budget of some $1.92 trillion. This figure represents 12.5 percent of the 2025 U.S. federal budget.
“Department of War” was the name used prior to 1949 for cabinet-level oversight of the Army, with the Department of the Navy being separate after 1798. The creation of the Department of the Air Force in 1947 led eventually to the creation of the Department of Defense in 1949 for supervision of all three branches, plus the Marine Corps, a subset of the Navy.
Persons with knowledge of the situation believe that changing the name of the DoD would incur costs totaling many millions of dollars for signage, stationery, and other expenses.
“That doesn’t matter,” Trump said after the signing ceremony. “We got millions in savings from canceling SNAP benefits and Medicaid payments. And with the savings realized with the elimination of tampon dispensers in restrooms in the all new, all-male military, we’re flush.”
The Department cites its mission on its website as “provid[ing] the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country.” Critics say more appropriate names are available.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested “the Department of Blowing up a Suspected Pirate Ship Rather than Intercepting It.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested a more “historical perspective” such as “Department of Carpet-Bombing Cambodia in the Name of Peace” or “Department of Violent Regime Change and Nation-Building in Iraq.”
Hegseth said he most prefers “Department of the Seizure of the Future states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Nevada via a Contrived War with Mexico.”
In a commencement speech to new officers at Fort Benning, GA, on Thursday, Hegseth teased a name change by suggesting that his job title “may be slightly different tomorrow.”
Critics suggested as possible titles “Secretary of Cis-gender Male Alcohol Abuse,” “Secretary of Signal Gate,” and “Secretary Asswipe.”
An earlier version of this article appeared on Tut Social.
- Trump Changes Name of Department of Defense - September 8, 2025
- White House Orders New Federal Construction to Reflect Trumpism - September 6, 2025
- RFK Jr. Interviewed on ‘Meet the Press’ - September 4, 2025
