U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the Pentagon’s Department of Defense could soon be renamed the “Department of War.”
The comment was made during his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the Oval Office.
Trump, while discussing military history, mused that the current title does not reflect the same strength as its old name.
“You know, we got the Department of Defense, but I between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” Trump said.
“Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”
Trump argued that America’s greatest military successes came when the Pentagon was under its former title.
He described the name change as a “little thing,” but hinted that it may be implemented soon.
“That’s a little thing, has nothing to do with your country,” he told President Lee.
“But it’s something that I think you’re going to be hearing about or seeing about over the next couple of weeks.”
The Department of War, originally established in 1789, oversaw America’s armed forces for more than 150 years.
Following the end of World War II, it was reorganized and officially renamed the Department of Defense in 1949 to emphasize a defensive rather than offensive posture.
Moreover, Trump’s proposal comes at a time when U.S. defense policies are under global scrutiny.
Meanwhile, President Lee did not publicly comment on the remark during the Oval Office meeting.
