Trump signs order to use Department of War as Pentagon name

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order authorizing the use of the historic title Department of War as a secondary name for the Pentagon, a White House document said, a move the administration says is intended to project greater military resolve while raising immediate questions about the legality and costs of a formal rebranding. The signing took place at the White House with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in attendance, officials said.

The order permits Defense Department officials to use alternative titles such as Department of War and Secretary of War in official correspondence and public communications and directs Secretary Hegseth to propose legislative and executive steps to make the change permanent. A White House overview of the order said public-facing items including websites, office signage and the Pentagon briefing room would be updated under the directive, with the briefing room to be labeled the Pentagon War Annex.

Trump and Hegseth have publicly championed the change in recent weeks, arguing the older name better reflects a warrior ethos. "Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War," the...