The Pentagon is intensifying its push for Congress to preserve a provision in this year's defense policy bill that would formally change the department's name to the Department of War, arguing that the rebranding is essential to clarifying the military's core mission.
In an op-ed published Monday by Fox News Digital, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote that President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had the courage to state plainly what many in Washington would have left untouched. “The president chose clarity over convenience when he signed the executive order authorizing the Department of War name,” Parnell said, framing the change as a restoration rather than an invention.
The push comes as both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have included measures in their drafts of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would codify the name change. The House version adopted an amendment by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) during a marathon June session, with a narrow 29-27 vote. The Senate committee followed suit, aligning with the administration's preference.
Trump signed an executive order last fall authorizing the rename, and Hegseth has since used the title "Secretary of War." Many Republican lawmakers have already adopted the new terminology. The War Department originally dates to 1789 under President George Washington and was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949.
Parnell argued that congressional action is necessary to cement the change. “The president has acted. Now Congress must finish the job,” he wrote. “Lawmakers should keep it in the final version and send it to the president's desk. The name of the institution that sends Americans to fight belongs in law, not just in an executive order."
Democrats have criticized the move as unnecessary and symbolic, accusing the administration of engaging in semantics. Parnell dismissed that criticism, saying, “Critics call the change symbolic, even unnecessary. They have it backward. Words define the mission, and the mission drives everything else. As for our allies, we owe them a clear statement of our core mission: to fight and win wars. Full stop." He added that clarity strengthens alliances while ambiguity invites adversaries to test them.
The cost of the rename remains a point of contention. The Pentagon initially estimated nearly $52 million, arguing it would have no significant impact on Trump's record $1.5 trillion defense budget request. However, the Congressional Budget Office projected in January that the change could cost up to $125 million.
Despite the price tag, Parnell insisted the name is a commitment. “Of course, a name alone does not make a military stronger. The name is a commitment, and the department must earn it every day,” he wrote. He tied the rename to broader defense priorities, including investments in superintelligence, autonomous systems, and a revitalized industrial base, saying every decision should answer whether it makes warfighters more capable of defeating any threat.
The final NDAA will now be negotiated between the House and Senate, with the name change provision hanging in the balance. The administration's push comes as it also seeks to advance major defense acquisitions like the F-35 program and tighten rules on military operations. The outcome will signal whether Congress is willing to embrace the administration's vision of a more overtly war-focused defense establishment.
