‘Department of War’ Renaming: The Repulsiveness of a Belligerent Attitude
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing the U.S. Department of Defense also to be known as the “Department of War,” and within the department premises, panels with that name have been installed. He also aims to make the name change official.
The U.S. War Department existed from 1789, almost immediately after the nation's founding, up until after World War II. In 1949, at the start of the Cold War era, the name was changed to the Department of Defense, placing focus on deterring war. In this present-day era, in which conflicts are widespread throughout the international community, one cannot help but express disgust at the idea of once again naming government offices and ministries after “war.”
The executive order states that the name change “demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend.” Trump harbors an admiration for the Department of War's “historic victories,” but he is exposing an egotistical, belligerent attitude.
The U.S. took the opportunity of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to boldly plunge into two simultaneous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, this led to the destabilization of public order and prolonged military intervention while anti-American sentiment and war weariness spread within the U.S.
Following the failure of U.S. military security policy in 2013, then-U.S. President Barack Obama remarked that “America is not the world's policeman.” It is plain to any observer that U.S. military influence has declined, but Trump touts an “America First” doctrine, weakening the international community's faith and U.S. deterrence ability.
The Department of War's aggressive name, while doing nothing to change the actual state of the U.S. military, is nothing more than “pretense of power” theatrics.
In June, four Democratic state Congress members and relatives were murdered*, and then on Sept. 10, conservative activist and close Trump ally Charlie Kirk was assassinated, deepening the divisions in the U.S.
The War Department name shift is also believed to be an attack aimed at the idea of war-averse “political correctness,” which is supported by many liberals within the U.S. It is hard to comprehend why the U.S. would further intensify internal divisions, even as Russia and other nations are utilizing intelligence warfare, casting an ominous shadow over U.S. military security.
Trump is deploying armed National Guard forces to areas that he views as strongholds of his Democratic political enemies, exhibiting a trend of misappropriating military resources. Even though Trump fancies himself as deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, the type of people who would thrust guns at people, domestic and foreign, should be placed on the chopping block of possible candidates.
*Editor's note: On June 14, 2025, Minneapolis state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated. On that date, state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot and seriously injured.
The U.S. War Department existed from 1789, almost immediately after the nation's founding, up until after World War II. In 1949, at the start of the Cold War era, the name was changed to the Department of Defense, placing focus on deterring war. In this present-day era, in which conflicts are widespread throughout the international community, one cannot help but express disgust at the idea of once again naming government offices and ministries after “war.”
The executive order states that the name change “demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend.” Trump harbors an admiration for the Department of War's “historic victories,” but he is exposing an egotistical, belligerent attitude.
The U.S. took the opportunity of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to boldly plunge into two simultaneous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, this led to the destabilization of public order and prolonged military intervention while anti-American sentiment and war weariness spread within the U.S.
Following the failure of U.S. military security policy in 2013, then-U.S. President Barack Obama remarked that “America is not the world's policeman.” It is plain to any observer that U.S. military influence has declined, but Trump touts an “America First” doctrine, weakening the international community's faith and U.S. deterrence ability.
The Department of War's aggressive name, while doing nothing to change the actual state of the U.S. military, is nothing more than “pretense of power” theatrics.
In June, four Democratic state Congress members and relatives were murdered*, and then on Sept. 10, conservative activist and close Trump ally Charlie Kirk was assassinated, deepening the divisions in the U.S.
The War Department name shift is also believed to be an attack aimed at the idea of war-averse “political correctness,” which is supported by many liberals within the U.S. It is hard to comprehend why the U.S. would further intensify internal divisions, even as Russia and other nations are utilizing intelligence warfare, casting an ominous shadow over U.S. military security.
Trump is deploying armed National Guard forces to areas that he views as strongholds of his Democratic political enemies, exhibiting a trend of misappropriating military resources. Even though Trump fancies himself as deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, the type of people who would thrust guns at people, domestic and foreign, should be placed on the chopping block of possible candidates.
*Editor's note: On June 14, 2025, Minneapolis state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated. On that date, state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot and seriously injured.
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