Trump signs executive order rebranding 'woke' Pentagon as Department of War
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defence as the Department of War.
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The Trump administration claims the name change "conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve" and projects American military toughness around the globe.
The Pentagon oversees the US armed services and is the successor to the War Department, which was established in 1789 and ran until 1947.
"It's a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now," Mr Trump said.
He added that the previous name was "woke".
Going forward, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will also be known as Secretary of War.
The order comes as some of Mr Trump's closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation that would codify the new name into law, with Congress having the sole power to establish, shutter and rename federal departments.
Absent a change in law, Trump will authorise the Pentagon to use secondary titles.
"From 1789 until the end of World War Two, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War," Florida Republican Greg Steube, an Army veteran, said in a statement.
"It is only fitting that we pay tribute to their eternal example and renowned commitment to lethality by restoring the name of the Department of War to our Armed Forces."
Republican senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.
The Department of War was created in 1789, then renamed and reorganised through legislation signed by President Harry Truman in 1947, two years after the end of the Second World WarW.
The Department of Defence incorporated the Department of War, which oversaw the Army, plus the Department of the Navy and the newly created independent Air Force.