President Donald Trump has announced plans to rename the Department of Defence as the “Department of War”.

He is set to sign an executive order on Friday that will designate this new title as a secondary name, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to as Secretary of War.

The Pentagon which manages the US armed forces is the successor to the War Department, originally established as a cabinet level agency in 1789 and operating until 1947.

However, any formal change to the department’s name would require congressional approval as the creation of executive departments is the responsibility of Congress.

The executive order which has been reviewed by the BBC said , “The name ‘Department of War’ conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to ‘Department of Defence’ which emphasises only defensive capabilities”.

The order aims to “project strength and resolve” allowing the defence secretary and officials to use the news titles.

Additionally, the order instructs Hegseth to recommend both legislative and executive actions to pursue a permanent name change since Trump cannot unilaterally make this alteration without Congress.

The Department of War was originally founded by George Washington but was rebranded after World War II. According to the executive order, restoring its name “will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests”.

While the White House has not disclosed the potential costs of a permanent rebranding, reports suggest it could reach a billion dollars, impacting the Pentagon’s budgetary efforts to reduce spending.

Trump has advocated for the name change citing the US’s “unbelievable history of victory” in both world wars under the previous title and expressing confidence that lawmakers would support the change.

He remarked, “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t even think we need that”.

Both Trump and Hegseth have sought to shift the department’s focus back to “war fighting” and a “”war ethos”, arguing that it has too concentrated on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Earlier, Trump downplayed speculation about pursuing the Nobel Peace Prize, stating “All I can do is put out wars. I just want to save lives”.

The remaining marks Trump’s 200th executive order since taking office and comes at a time of increased military tensions particularly following China’s recent display of new military capabilities which many view as a direct message to the US and its allies.