With the signing of an executive order, President Donald Trump didn’t just alter how the Department of War is referenced within the White House, he signaled an intense shift in how the United States understands its military power.
The Department of Defense (DoD) was created in 1789 and known as the Department of War until 1947, when it was changed to the Department of the Army and then in 1949, the Department of Defense. When created, the department was responsible for the Army, coastal and national fortifications, military planning and Native American affairs. In 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act, which merged the Department of War with the Department of the Navy as well as the newly established Department of the Air Force. Then, in 1949, the National Military Establishment changed the name from Department of the Army to the DoD. With Harry Truman as president, the name change symbolized that America was emphasizing protection rather than aggression.
On Sept. 5, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to add the Department of War as a secondary title for the DoD. Since signing the order, the Trump Administration has made a variety of changes to reflect the new name, including replacing signage within the Pentagon and implementing the name change on social media and the Pentagon’s official website. However, the new name is not actually a replacement. In order to be officially enacted and legally recognized, Congress would need to pass a law authorizing the change, which has not yet happened.
Still, some students see the adjustment as the U.S. taking on a combative stance. Sophomore Dylan Csazar of Holmdel expressed that the name symbolizes “a bad sign for what the U.S. can become on a global scale.”
He continued by explaining that with the name change, ideals are going to change in the United States.
“I think we are going to become a lot more aggressive,” Csazar said. “I think we are going to start invading other countries and taking resources for ourselves.”
Since signing the executive order, the Trump Administration has carried out the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and continues to express plans for a takeover of Greenland.
Other students, like sophomore Sarah Furlong of Howell, are similarly focused on the meaning behind the change.
“[I think the U.S. government is] less worried about the state of America domestically; it is no longer focused on the United States and protecting it,” Furlong said.
Senior Helena Szep of Middletown shared a similar view, believing that the decision does not reflect “the kind of image of a diplomatic America that has driven our country’s progression in the past.”
“With the shift of presidency, I think that there’s also been a shift in the general portrayal of America’s role in foreign affairs,” Szep said.
The word defense suggests protection and deterrence, while war implies direct conflict and offensive action. For these students, the change is less about immediate policy and more about messaging, how the U.S. presents its intentions on both a national and international scale. As Senior Helena Szep of Middletown explained, the change moves away from diplomacy and suggests a more aggressive approach to international relations.
“The name change instead portrays this image that America intends to play on the offense in foreign affairs, rather than prioritizing working towards preserving peace.”
