Overview

• President Trump on Sept. 5 signed his 200th executive order granting the Defense Department the secondary title “Department of War.”
• Branding experts say renaming such a vast institution is a high‑risk, surface move likely to create confusion without quickly changing public perception.
• Pentagon officials warn the logistical burden spans more than 700,000 facilities worldwide, with reported rebranding costs ranging from millions to potentially billions of dollars.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has adopted more hawkish language, saying the services will emphasize “maximum lethality, not tepid legality,” and the new title is appearing in public messaging.
• Analysts caution the shift projects a more offensive posture that could unsettle allies and hand rhetorical ammunition to rivals including China and Russia.