Trump signs order to rename Department of Defence as Department of War
Washington (AP): After months of campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, President Donald Trump sent a sharply different message on Friday when he signed an executive order aimed at rebranding the Department of Defence as the Department of War.
Trump said the switch was intended to signal to the world that the United States was a force to be reckoned with, and he complained that the Department of Defence's name was “woke.”
“I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends, really, a message of strength,” Trump said of the change as he authorised the Department of War as a secondary title for the Pentagon.
Congress has to formally authorise a new name, and several of Trump's closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation earlier Friday to codify the new name into law.
But already there were cosmetic shifts. The Pentagon's website went from “defence.gov” to “war.gov.” Signs were swapped around Hegseth's office while more than a dozen employees watched. Trump said there would be new stationery, too.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Trump has begun referring to as the “secretary of war,” said during the signing ceremony that “we're going to go on offense, not just on defense,” using “maximum lethality” that won't be “politically correct.”
The attempted rebranding was another rhetorical salvo in Trump's efforts to reshape the US military and uproot what he has described as progressive ideology.
Bases have been renamed, transgender soldiers have been banned and websites have been scrubbed of posts honouring contributions by women and minorities to the armed forces.
He's also favoured aggressive — critics say illegal — military action despite his criticism of “endless wars” under other administrations. He frequently boasts about the stealth bomber strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and he recently ordered the destruction of a boat that the US says was carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
The Republican president insisted that his tough talk didn't contradict his fixation on being recognised for diplomatic efforts, saying peace must be made from a position of strength. Trump has claimed credit for resolving conflicts between India and Pakistan; Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Armenia and Azerbaijan, among others. (He's also expressed frustration that he hasn't brought the war between Russia and Ukraine to a conclusion as fast as he wanted.)
“I think I've gotten peace because of the fact that we're strong,” Trump said, echoing the “peace through strength” motto associated with President Ronald Reagan
When Trump finished his remarks on the military, he dismissed Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from the room.
“I'm going to let these people go back to the Department of War and figure out how to maintain peace,” Trump said.
Florida Republican Rep Greg Steube proposed legislation in the House to formally change the name of the department.
“From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War,” 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.”
Sens Rick Scott, R-Fla, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, 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 World War II.
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.
Hegseth complained that “we haven't won a major war since” the name was changed. Trump said, “We never fought to win.”
Trump and Hegseth have long talked about restoring the Department of War name.
In August, Trump told reporters that “everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defence.”
When confronted with the possibility that making the name change would require an act of Congress, Trump told reporters that “we're just going to do it.”
“I'm sure Congress will go along,” he said, “if we need that.”
Trump and Hegseth have been on a name-changing spree at the Pentagon, sometimes by sidestepping legal requirements.
For example, they wanted to restore the names of nine military bases that once honoured Confederate leaders, which were changed in 2023 following a congressionally mandated review.
Because the original names were no longer allowed under law, Hegseth ordered the bases to be named after new people with similar names. For example, Fort Bragg now honours Army Pfc Roland L Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine, instead of Confederate Gen Braxton Bragg.
In the case of Fort A P Hill, named for Confederate Lt Gen Ambrose Powell Hill, the Trump administration was forced to choose three soldiers to make the renaming work.
The base now honours Union soldiers Pvt Bruce Anderson and 1st Sgt Robert A Pinn, who contributes the two initials, and Lt Col Edward Hill, whose last name completes the second half of the base name.
The move irked Republicans in Congress who, in July, moved to ban restoring any Confederate names in this year's defense authorisation bill.
Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Republican who co-sponsored the earlier amendment to remove the Confederate names, said that “what this administration is doing, particularly this secretary of defence, is sticking his finger in the eye of Congress by going back and changing the names to the old names.”
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'No full stop in politics': PM bids farewell to 59 RS members, hails Deve Gowda, Kharge, Pawar
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to 59 members retiring from the Rajya Sabha between April and July, calling Parliament "an open university" and urging outgoing legislators to continue contributing to national life.
Addressing the Upper House on the occasion of the biennial farewell, Modi said such moments naturally dissolve partisan divides.
"A shared sentiment emerges within us all -- the realisation that our colleagues are now moving forward to undertake other endeavours," he said.
To members who do not plan to return, the Prime Minister offered reassurance: "In politics, there is no such thing as a full stop. The future awaits you as well, and your experience will forever remain an enduring part of our national life."
Modi reserved special praise for three senior leaders -- former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar -- calling them stalwarts who have spent more than half their lives in parliamentary proceedings.
"The manner in which they continue to attend the House with such dedication is truly exemplary -- a spirit from which all new parliamentarians ought to learn," he said.
The Prime Minister also paid tribute to outgoing Deputy Chairman Harivansh, describing him as "gentle and soft-spoken" yet a "man of rigorous action".
He noted that Harivansh had continued to travel across the country during recess periods, engaging with the youth on issues of national importance.
In a lighter vein, Modi singled out Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. "Our Athawale-ji is truly evergreen," he said, drawing laughter in the House.
"He is departing, yet I am confident no one will feel a void -- he will continue to serve tirelessly."
Reflecting on the bicameral structure of Parliament, the Prime Minister likened the passage of legislation between the two Houses to seeking a "second opinion" -- a practice, he said, that strengthens democratic decision-making.
"A decision taken in one House goes to the other for a second opinion. This gives new direction to the entire debate and the decision-making process," he said.
Modi also noted that some outgoing members had the rare distinction of having served in both old and new Parliament buildings. He described a six-year Rajya Sabha term as "an invaluable opportunity to shape one's life", offering legislators deep insight into the nuances of national affairs.
