President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday, changing the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War, arguing that the rebrand marks an important change in America’s view of foreign conflict.

Trump and renamed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in the Oval Office that the rebrand points back to an era in American history when U.S. forces focused on decisive victory. The War Department was established in 1789 after America won the War for Independence, but the name changed to the Department of Defense in 1949, following decades of victories, including in World War I and World War II.

Trump said that the change to Defense Department was evidence of the United States going “woke.”

“So we won the first World War, we won the second World War, we won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So, we’re going Department of War,” Trump said.

.@POTUS: “We won the first World War. We won the second World War. We won everything before that and in between — and then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So, we’re going Department of War.” pic.twitter.com/Vct6X3L9JU

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 5, 2025

“I think it sends a message of victory,” Trump added of the name change. “I think it sends really a message of strength. We’re very strong. We’re much stronger than anyone would really understand.”

.@POTUS on the message sent by bringing back the Department of War: “I think it sends a message of victory… really a message of strength — we’re very strong. We’re much stronger than anyone would really understand.” pic.twitter.com/v8q3Rzmbg3

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 5, 2025

Secretary of War Hegseth said that the United States has “not won a major war since” the Department of War changed to the Department of Defense.

“And that’s not to disparage our war fighters who, whether it’s the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or our generation of Iraq and Afghanistan,” Hegseth added. “That’s to recognize that this name change is not just about renaming — it’s about restoring. Words matter. It’s restoring, as you’ve guided us to, Mr. President, restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state.”

Trump said that the U.S. military has always remained “very strong,” but added that in modern times, “We just never fought to win.”

“We didn’t lose anything, but we didn’t fight to win,” he said. “We could’ve won every one of those wars quickly, but they went a route that I think was probably politically correct, but not correct for our nation, so I think the Department of War sends a signal.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, who was also by Trump’s side in the Oval Office, told the president, “The mission you and the secretary have given us is clear and unambiguous — to deliver peace through overwhelming strength. And I remind everyone that the U.S. military can reach any adversary at the time and place of our choosing.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine: “Mr. President… America’s military is the single most powerful fighting force in the world. The mission you and @PeteHegseth have given us is clear and unambiguous — to deliver peace, through overwhelming STRENGTH.” pic.twitter.com/WQHeMNjghn

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 5, 2025

The Trump administration plans to issue rules to restrict or potentially bar imports of Chinese drones and medium and heavy-duty vehicles after an earlier crackdown on cars and trucks, citing national security concerns.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday said it plans to issue rules as soon as this month to address national security risks involving information and communications technology that is integral to drones and their supply chain, as well as vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds from countries like China and other foreign adversaries.

It did not give details on what the import rules would be.

The Commerce Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

Chinese imports account for the vast majority of U.S. commercial drone sales. More than half come from DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer.

The planned restrictions on drones and heavy-duty vehicles follow on from similar rules already scheduled on imports of cars and other trucks.

Democratic former President Joe Biden’s administration finalized rules in January that will effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars and trucks from the U.S. market starting in late 2026, as part of a crackdown on vehicle software and hardware from China.

The Commerce Department in January said it could also target for restrictions drone systems like onboard computers, communications and flight control systems, ground control stations, operating software and data storage.

The department opened national security investigations into the import of drones and related components in July and into medium and heavy duty vehicles and parts in April, which could lead to higher tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump in June signed executive orders to bolster defenses against threatening drones and to boost U.S. drone manufacturing.

In December, Biden signed legislation that could eventually ban DJI and Autel from selling new drone models in the United States.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)