Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced bicameral legislation to restore the Department of Defense's original name, the Department of War, alongside Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).
The modern designation of the Department of Defense emerged after World War II, following a brief period as the "National Military Establishment," a relatively recent name change. Historically, the Department has been known as the Department of War since the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, and the modern Secretary of Defense was appropriately known as the Secretary of War.
Simply put, the bill codifies what the Trump Administration has recently announced consideration of doing, with President Donald Trump recently saying, "We won World War I [and] World War II. It was called the Department of War. To me, that's really what it is."
"I'm talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was the Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense," Trump added.
Rep. Steube echoed Trump's sentiment in his press release, saying, "From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War."
"Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, the standard of excellence was established for all servicemembers who followed in their footsteps," Rep. Steube continued, "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."
Similarly, Sen. Lee said, "For the first 150 years of our military's history, Americans defeated their enemies and protected their country under the War Department."
"I'm proud to introduce the Department of War Restoration Act to make President Trump's return to tradition permanent in federal law. It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don't just play defense," Sen. Lee concluded.
