Looking at the news, since returning to the White House in January, US President Trump has made great efforts to build the image of a "president of peace" and has been advocating against "endless wars". At present, he is anxious for a "war department".

Screen of Trump's speech

According to foreign media reports quoted by the Global Times, on August 25 local time, Trump once again stated that he hoped to turn the Department of Defense back to the historic old "war department" and would hand the matter over to Defense Secretary Hegerseth to deal with.

"Too passive"

On the same day, when Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House, he hinted that the name change of the Ministry of Defense was advancing. "We call it the 'Department of Defense,' but privately, I think we'll change the name."

Later, he explained at another White House event that the name "Department of War" is more powerful, can better reflect the military superiority of the United States, and bring the "warrior spirit" back to the Pentagon. "When we called that name, we won World War I, World War II, we won everything."

In his view, the name "Department of Defense" is too passive to reflect the U.S. offensive military capability.

The Pentagon Building.

According to historical records, during the War Department period, the United States participated in the War of 1812, the American-Mexican War, the Civil War, the War against the Native Americans, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II.

After the establishment of the Ministry of Defense, the United States was involved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the Afghan War, many of which were deep in the dam.

Trump also mentioned that Defense Secretary Hegerseth performed well in what he called the ¡°war department¡± and hinted that the name change could be completed in the next week or so.

Asked whether the name change needed congressional approval, Trump said, ¡°I believe Congress will agree if necessary.

repeatedly hinted

This is not Trump's momentary heartbeat.In recent weeks, he has repeatedly suggested a possible resumption of the "war department" title.

On June 25, at a press conference after the NATO summit, Trump called Hegerseth a ¡°war minister¡± and said he would continue to use the term because ¡°we feel like warriors.¡±

At that time, Trump deliberately looked at Hegseth behind him, who nodded in response.

Echoing this, in March this year, Hegseth launched a vote on social media to ask the public for opinions on the name change of the Ministry of Defense. The results showed that more than 203,000 people participated in the vote, and 54.3% of them supported the restoration of the "Department of War" name.

Commentators described the shift as ironic. Mr. Trump has long described himself as "peace-loving" and emphasized his role in defusing global conflicts. But the push for the name change suggests that the so-called "president of peace" is equally eager to project US military power at home and abroad.

Trump has always claimed to be "peace-loving"

"I don't want to just play defense, we also have to attack." Trump said at the White House on the 25th, so the "Department of War" sounded better.

Political correctness?

Established in 1789 by George Washington, the Department of War was one of the earliest administrative departments of the U.S. government, mainly responsible for military affairs, and remained in existence until 1947.

In 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act with the approval of Congress, establishing a "national military agency" and promoting the centralization of military management. Under this framework, in addition to the original War Department and Navy Department, the Air Force Department was also established based on the Army Air Force.

In 1949, the "National Military Agency" was renamed the "Department of Defense", giving the Pentagon leadership more concentrated power among the various services.

Trump mentioned that the old name of "Department of War" can still be seen on the wall of Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, where the agency was once located; Later, it was changed to the Ministry of National Defense, mainly out of "political correctness".

However, according to the views of American scholars and the archives of the Truman administration, the name change in 1949 reflected the transformation and management needs of U.S. military strategy after World War II, and the so-called "political correctness" statement does not hold true.

First, the responsibilities of the department have been expanded to cover operations, foreign policy, intelligence and, most importantly, national security, and the unified management of multiple services.

Second, in the early days of the nuclear age, the name "Department of Defense" also emphasized the significance of avoiding war: it was intended to show U.S. opponents and countries around the world that the United States 'goal is not to wage war, but to defend itself; but if defense requires resort to war, all four major U.S. services are ready.

However, despite Trump¡¯s intention to push for the name change, as the defense ministry¡¯s name is based on the National Security Act, any name change may eventually require congressional approval.