Author: Heather Jones-Lawlor

BlogUncategorized

Department of Defense or Department of War?

In the aftermath of World War II, in 1947, the US War Department was renamed and restructured into the Department of Defense. On September 5th, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order changing the Department of Defense to the Department of War as a secondary title.

What’s in a name? That question animated a spirited debate at The Fletcher School, where experts and more than 50 students gathered to consider whether the United States of America’s Department of Defense should be renamed the Department of War.

Read More