The old bronze plaques on the Pentagon building were replaced with new ones with the inscription “Department of War” – the official new name of the department. This is stated in the statement of the military department.
One of the signs was personally hung by the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth.
“We wanted to replace the old signs because we want everyone who walks through this door to know that we are very serious about changing the name of this organization,” the secretary said.
From its establishment in 1789 until the end of World War II, the Defense Department was called the Department of War and only in 1947 it was renamed the Department of Defense.
In September 2025, US President Donald Trump renamed the US Department of Defense to the Department of War.