Politico Reports Views of Current and Former Pentagon Officials
"Adversaries Will Portray U.S. as a Threat to International Stability"
"Time and Money Wasted on Matters Other Than Military Readiness"
As President Donald Trump signed an executive order to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, reports have emerged that officials within the department are experiencing confusion. On September 5 (local time), Politico, a U.S. political news outlet, claimed that after speaking with current and former officials familiar with the internal situation at the department, many expressed frustration and exasperation.
On the 5th (local time), Donald Trump, President of the United States, signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War during a media interview held at the White House office in Washington DC. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News, a former Department of Defense official told Politico, "This is purely for a domestic political audience," adding, "It will cost millions of dollars and will have no impact whatsoever on the calculations of China or Russia." He further stated, "What is worse is that our adversaries will use this to portray the United States as a country that incites war and as a threat to international stability." Another current official commented, "This will cause numerous headaches and inconveniences," and predicted, "A great deal of time and effort will be wasted."
With this executive order, it is expected that the Department of Defense will need to change its insignia at more than 700,000 military facilities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in 40 countries overseas. Politico projected that the total cost could amount to several trillion won, covering everything from stationery used by military units and subordinate organizations, to jackets worn by senior officials confirmed by the Senate, to keychains sold at the Pentagon gift shop, and even napkins in dining facilities.
Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky who oversees defense spending, stated on social media, "President Trump's defense budget proposal for next year does not account for inflation," and added, "If we are going to call it the Department of War, we must properly equip our military to actually prevent and win wars." He continued, "Unless we increase spending on our military far more than under the Carter or Biden administrations, the United States will not be able to maintain its advantage," emphasizing, "Peace through strength requires investment, not just a change in name."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview with MSNBC, "The President and the Secretary of Defense are wasting time and energy on matters other than what we should be doing, namely focusing on the readiness of our active-duty military," criticizing, "This is merely an attempt to distract from other issues happening domestically."
The Department of Defense was known as the Department of War from 1789 to 1947, until President Harry Truman separated the Department of War into the Army and Air Force and merged them with the then-independent Navy, resulting in the current name. However, officially changing the name of a government department requires a legislative process in Congress. According to explanatory materials released by the White House, Secretary Pete Hegseth will refer to himself as the "Secretary of War" and use "Department of War" as a supplementary title in all official documents and events. In other words, it appears the administration will use the name Department of War in a circumstantial manner without formal legislation. As of September 8, the top banner on the Department of Defense website has already been replaced with the Department of War.
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