DOD NOW DOW: Undeterred by the fact he doesn’t have the power to change the name of the Department of Defense, which is enshrined by statute, President Donald Trump has decreed via executive order that the department “should once again be known as the Department of War and the Secretary should be known as the Secretary of War,” as a “secondary” designation “until changed subsequently by the law.”
Trump, who said two weeks ago at a Cabinet meeting that, as president, he has “the right to do anything I want,” explained in his executive order, “The name ‘Department of War,’ more than the current ‘Department of Defense,’ ensures peace through strength, as it demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend.”
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“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 to the ‘Department of War,’” Trump said as he signed the order Friday. “It has to do with winning. We should have won every war. We could have won every war, but we really chose to be very politically correct or wokey, and we just fight forever and then — you know, win, lose, we wouldn’t lose, really, we just fight for sort of tie.”
As for whether it will take an act of Congress to change legally what is now essentially a nickname for the Pentagon, Trump said he’s not sure. “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” he said. “There’s a question as to whether or not they have to, but we’ll put it before Congress.”
SALUTING SMARTLY AND REBRANDING: The question of whether the National Security Act of 1947, which established the Department of Defense, would have to be amended for the name change to become permanent didn’t stop a flurry of rebranding in the Pentagon on Friday. Within hours, workers were furiously replacing signage in various parts of the building with Trump’s preferred name, including on Pete Hegseth’s third-floor office, which now designates him as secretary of war.
The Pentagon’s web address is now war.gov, Hegseth’s handle on X is @SecWar, and all online references to DOD now say DOW.
Hegseth has reveled in the rebranding, saying it perfectly reflects his desire to emphasize the “lethality” of U.S. armed forces. “Words matter,” Hegseth said at Friday’s signing ceremony. “It’s restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state, restoring intentionality to the use of force.”
Like Trump, Hegseth displayed a fuzzy memory of history, claiming that after the name change in 1947, America was winless on the battlefield. “We haven’t won a major war since. And that’s not to disparage our warfighters, whether it’s the Korean War or the Vietnam War or our generation of Iraq and Afghanistan, that’s to recognize that this name change is not just about renaming. It’s about restoring … the warrior ethos.”
Hegseth seems to have forgotten the 1991 Gulf War, the 1999 NATO war in Yugoslavia, the 1989 invasion of Panama, and the 1994 intervention in Haiti, just to name a few.
The nation’s top military officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, assiduously avoided offering an opinion on the name change. When called on by Trump to say a few words, Caine chose them carefully.
“America’s military is the single most powerful fighting force in the world,” Caine said. “The mission you and the secretary have given us is clear and unambiguous: to deliver peace through overwhelming strength,” he said. “And I remind everyone that the U.S. military can reach any adversary at the time and place of our choosing.”
‘A MILLION SMALL HEADACHES’: Critics of the name change were quick to cite the herculean task and likely massive cost of changing seals and signage on more than 700,000 facilities in 40 countries and 50 states.
“I see there being a million small headaches and annoyances if this actually happens,” a defense official told Politico, noting that everything from letterheads to napkins to various items of apparel will suddenly be obsolete. “It’ll eat up time and effort.”
“I think it really shows misplaced priorities,” Sabrina Singh, former deputy Pentagon press secretary, said on CNN. “So, you know, renaming the ‘Department of Defense’ to the ‘Department of War,’ it’s like, what are we doing here? Why are we spending our resources on things that’s probably going to cost billions of dollars, when we should be really focused on our priorities and what Donald Trump wants to do?”
Trump downplayed the cost of the monumental change. “We know how to rebrand without having to go crazy,” he said Friday. “We don’t have to re-carve a mountain or anything. We’re going to be doing it not in the most expensive [way]. We’re going to start changing the stationery as it comes due and lots of things like that.”
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Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
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‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO WAR’ WITH CHICAGO: Trump bristled Sunday morning when asked by a reporter about a meme he posted on his social media site, which featured an artificial intelligence-generated image of Trump as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore from the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now, with the caption “Chipocalypse Now.” The text of the meme said, “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” a play on Kilgore’s famous line with the threat. “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
“When you say that, darling, that’s fake news. … Listen, be quiet. … You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate,” Trump berated the reporter. “We’re not going to war. We’re gonna clean up our cities. We’re gonna clean ’em so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war.”
While Chicago is bracing for an invasion of federal law enforcement and U.S. military troops, Trump said Sunday night he’s still mulling whether to deploy the forces against the wishes of Illinois’s governor and Chicago’s mayor.
“Chicago is a very dangerous place, and we have a governor that doesn’t care about crime, I guess,” Trump told reporters upon his return to Washington from the U.S. Open men’s tennis finals in New York. “But we’re going to make a decision as to where we go over the next day or two.”
‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO WAR’ WITH CHICAGO, TRUMP SAYS AFTER MEME POST
PRITZKER: ‘THIS IS NOT A JOKE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: Reacting to the meme, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) called Trump “a wannabe dictator.”
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal,” Pritzker posted on X. “Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.
“I believe, a nefarious plan. It’s one that’s been repeated over and over again by — well, tyrannical dictatorships across history where you try to incite local population into some mayhem by sending in police or other disrupters, and then claim that there’s too much mayhem on the ground, and therefore, there must be troops that are sent in,” Pritzker said in a Friday appearance on MSNBC. “And that’s how you basically convert a democracy into something other than that.”
Pritzker said the city is being kept in the dark about the federal government’s plans. “Gregory Bovino, who’s a leader at Customs and Border Patrol and ICE, the one who caused a lot of the mayhem in Los Angeles — he is apparently leading the effort to come into Chicago,” Pritzker said. “And he called our state police and let us know, let our state police director know only that they are coming and that they intend to be in place by the end of this week. And that’s it. They didn’t tell us how many. They didn’t tell us what actions they’re going to take. They didn’t tell us what neighborhoods.”
Pritzker said he’s relying on “well-sourced rumors,” based on leaks from “patriotic Americans who work in the administration” who don’t have permission to speak publicly. “So we think there are about 300 agents that may be at Great Lakes and preparing to invade the communities around Chicago, like Little Village, like Pilsen.”
DEMOCRATS BLAST TRUMP’S THREAT TO UNLEASH WAR DEPARTMENT ON CHICAGO
TRUMP REMAINS ‘UNHAPPY’ AND ‘DISAPPOINTED’ WITH PUTIN: In the wake of Russia’s weekend air assault — the largest yet in the Ukraine war, with over 800 drones and more than a dozen cruise and ballistic missiles — Trump is once again declaring himself “not happy” with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s escalation of attacks and unwillingness to make any move toward peace.
Among the targets hit was the Cabinet of Ministers building in the heart of Kyiv, the first time Russia has struck the seat of government in Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a video on X showing the damage.
“This is how the headquarters of Ukraine’s government now looks after this morning’s Russian attack. Our whole team works in this building daily. Fortunately, no one was injured. Russian barbarism will not halt the work of Ukraine’s government,” Svyrydenko said. “The walls will be repaired, they are only bricks, but the lives of our people can’t be restored. In this night’s Russian attack 4 people killed and 44 injured. What is clear is that Russia does not want peace.”
Trump said Sunday night, “I’m not happy. I’m not happy. I’m not happy about the whole situation. You know, it’s interesting. It doesn’t affect us because it’s not our soldiers, but they’re losing. I used to tell you, 5,000. They’re losing 7,000 between Ukraine and Russia. Seven thousand soldiers every single week. It’s such a horrible waste of humanity.
“So, no, I am not thrilled with what’s happening there, I will tell you. I think it’s going to get settled.”
Earlier Sunday, Trump gave a three-word answer when a reporter asked if he was ready to “move to the second stage of sanctions” against Putin. “Yeah, I am,” he said.
“The Russian MoD claimed that Russian forces struck two industrial enterprises on the outskirts of Kyiv City but did not conduct any strikes against any other objects within Kyiv City,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. “The Kremlin has often denied that Russian forces hit civilian targets in Ukraine despite ample footage, imagery, and Ukrainian official reports to the contrary.”
TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT REACHING A PEACE DEAL IN UKRAINE WAR
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Russia damages Ukrainian government building in largest attack since war began
Washington Examiner: Trump remains optimistic about reaching a peace deal in Ukraine war
Washington Examiner: Trump to make decision on Chicago crime crackdown in ‘next day or two’
Washington Examiner: Trump reposts meme threatening Chicago with Department of War
Washington Examiner: ‘We’re not going to war’ with Chicago, Trump says after meme post
Washington Examiner: Democrats blast Trump’s threat to unleash War Department on Chicago
Washington Examiner: Trump says troops will be sent to New Orleans
Washington Examiner: State-run detention sites give ICE space for mass deportation agenda
Washington Examiner: South Korea to repatriate over 300 Hyundai factory workers detained in Georgia raid
Washington Examiner: Hegseth warns additional strikes on drug cartels could come after 11 killed
Washington Examiner: Trump’s ‘drug vessel’ strike seen as warning to smugglers and Maduro
Washington Examiner: Paul slams Vance post dismissing US ‘war crime’ in Venezuelan boat strike
Washington Examiner: Duckworth says US strike on Venezuelan boat opens Americans to similar attacks
Washington Examiner: Hochul slams Trump over reported 9/11 memorial takeover plans
Washington Examiner: Saudi effort to dismiss claims it supported 9/11 hijackers denied by judge
Washington Examiner: Former Northern Command leader warns of ‘incredible gaps’ in homeland defense
Washington Examiner: Trump gives ‘last warning’ for Hamas to release its hostages
Washington Examiner: Hamas releases video of two hostages in Gaza City as Israel prepares bombardment
Washington Examiner: Has Trump lost India? Punitive tariffs and Nobel Peace Prize insults erode once-close relations
Washington Examiner: Kamala Harris will no longer receive protection from LAPD
Washington Examiner: Norway’s left-wing parties battle Europe’s latest populist surge in upcoming election
AP: Thousands protest for a ‘Free DC’ on the fourth week of federal control in Washington
New York Times: Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance
Washington Post: The world wants Ukraine’s cutting-edge drones, but they aren’t yet for sale
Wall Street Journal: How China’s New Naval and Air Sites Would Aid an Attack on Taiwan
DefenseScoop: China’s Military Technology Parade Underscores Need for More US Deterrents, Experts Say
New York Times: How a Top Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission Into North Korea Fell Apart
AP: A Houthi drone strikes an Israeli airport in a rare hit as Israel steps up Gaza City attacks
Washington Post: Military-related work absences at a 19-year high amid deployments
New York Times: Israel Steps Up Attacks on Gaza City Ahead of a Planned Wider Offensive
Reuters: Trump to Reinterpret 1987 Missile Treaty to Sell Heavy Attack Drones Abroad
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Report: Restoring Air Force to Dominance Will Take Sustained $20-$30 Billion Per Year
Defense Scoop: Trump Selects Top Military Intel Advisor to Run the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The War Zone: Homeland Needs to Be Able to Survive a Punch in the Nose, According to Former NORAD Chief
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Operations Command Getting New Name, New Boss
Air & Space Forces Magazine: When Can Space Force Guardians Expect Their New Dress Uniforms?
Breaking Defense: Navy Taps Four Aerospace Primes to Design Autonomous Drone Wingmen
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force’s Network of the Future: Fast, Commercial, and Virtual
Washington Post: West Point alumni group cancels award ceremony for Tom Hanks
AP: A decades-long peace vigil outside the White House is dismantled after Trump’s order
New York Post: CBS News vows to air only uncut interviews on ‘Face the Nation’ after Kristi Noem uproar
Washington Post: House Speaker Johnson backs off claim that Trump was an ‘FBI informant’ in Epstein case
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 8
10:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “America’s propulsion advantage,” with Steve Russell, vice president and general manager of GE Aerospace’s Edison Works; and retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean, Mitchell Institute https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/steve-russell
2 p.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) media call on a new report: “Building the Future U.S. Cyber Force: What Right Looks Like,” with co-authors retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s CCTI, and Erica Lonergan, adjunct fellow in FDD’s CCTI Journalist, may email [email protected] to RSVP
7 p.m. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion: While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East, with author Yaakov Katz, former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post; https://politics-prose.com/yaakov-katz
TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 9
8 a.m. 65 I St. SW — Axios discussion: “Future of Defense: Space, Satellites and Security,” with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI); Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX); Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA); Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance; and Kari Bingen, director, Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Aerospace Security Project https://axiosfutureofdefense-spacesatellitesandsecurity.splashthat.com/
8 a.m. 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Politico in person and virtual discussion: “Policy Outlook: Cybersecurity,” with Caitlin Clarke, senior director of cybersecurity services at Venable; Matt Hayden, vice president of cyber and emerging threats at General Dynamics Information Technology; and retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation https://policyoutlookcybersecurity.splashthat.com/CMS
8:30 a.m. Washington Convention Center — Billington CyberSecurity Summit through Sept. 12, with White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross; Army CIO Leonel Garciga; Michael Duffy, federal chief information security officer, Office of Management and Budget; Alexei Bulazel, special assistant to the president and senior director for cyber, White House at the National Security Council; Navy CIO Jane Rathbun; and Jennifer Link, CIA chief information security officer https://billingtoncybersummit.com/
9:15 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “U.S. Leadership in a Challenging World,” with former CIA Director William Burns https://carnegieendowment.org/events
2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group and Cisco virtual discussion: “Modernizing for AI: Building Secure Networks for Mission Impact,” with Harry Hayes Dreany, artificial intelligence development lead at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab; Timothy Shives, professor of practice at the Naval Postgraduate School; and Kevin Manwiller, senior operations director of national security programs at Cisco https://events.govexec.com/building-secure-networks-for-mission-impact/
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 10
8:30 a.m. Washington Convention Center — Billington CyberSecurity Summit through Sept. 12, with Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff https://billingtoncybersummit.com/
8:45 a.m. 151 St. George Blvd, Oxon Hill, Md. — Defense Strategies Institute Military Tactical Communications Summit, discussion: “Enhancing the Army’s Tactical Networks to Enable a Leaner, More Lethal and Better Equipped Force” taccom.dsigroup.org
1 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “The Muslim Brotherhood Threat, National Security, and America’s Global Leadership,” with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX); Victoria Coates, vice president, Heritage Institute for National and former deputy national security adviser https://www.heritage.org/terrorism/event/senator-cruz
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 11
8:30 a.m. Washington Convention Center — Association for Talent Development Government Workforce Conference, with Army Col. Kris Saling, director of innovation and Army talent innovation at the Office of the assistant Army secretary for manpower and reserve affairs https://governmentworkforce.td.org/
8:40 a.m. — National September 11 Memorial and Museum 24th Anniversary Commemoration, https://911memorialmuseum.brightcovegallery.com
8:50 a.m. Pentagon, 9/11 Memorial — Pentagon 9/11 observance ceremony https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/36733
9:45 a.m. 6424 Lincoln Highway, Stoystown, Pa.— National Park Service “Moment of Remembrance” event at the Flight 93 National Memorial, Memorial Plaza, Wall of Names, Stoystown, Pennsylvania. https://www.nps.gov/flni/planyourvisit/september-11-events-schedule.htm
12 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “U.S.-Iraq security partnership after Operation Inherent Resolve,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey; Victoria Taylor, director, Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative and Middle East Programs; and Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme and director of Chatham House Iraq Initiative https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/us-iraq-security-partnership
12 p.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum, “The Abraham Accords at Five Years: Resilience and Roadblocks,” with former Israeli Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Amir Hayek, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Victoria Coates, vice president, Heritage Foundation’s Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy; former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Yael Lampert; and Ahdeya al Sayed, former president, Bahrain Journalists Association https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
3 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Europe with Less U.S.: Preventing Russia Opportunistic Aggression in Europe,” with retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former commander, U.S. European Command and former supreme allied commander Europe; retired Navy Adm. James Foggo, former commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and former commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples; Andrea Kendall-Taylor, program director and senior fellow at the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program; and Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/brussels-sprouts-live-understanding-russias-calculus
4 p.m. 400 block of E St. NW, — National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 9/11 memorial program https://nleomf.org/event/9-11-ceremony-to-honor-the-fallen-2/
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 12
8:30 a.m. Washington Convention Center — Billington CyberSecurity Summit, with Douglas “Doug” Matty, chief digital and AI officer at the Pentagon Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office; Matthew “Matt” Turek, deputy director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Information Innovation Office https://billingtoncybersummit.com
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “U.S.-China Trade Wars,” with Michael Froman, president, Council on Foreign Relations; Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director, Brookings Foreign Policy Program; and Ryan Hass, director, Brookings China Center and senior fellow in the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and Brookings Center for Asia Policy Studies https://www.brookings.edu/events/u-s-china-trade-wars-a-conversation-with-michael-froman/
10:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation discussion: “Taiwan’s Strategy for Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership with the United States,” with Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-Cheng https://www.heritage.org/china/event/taiwans-strategy
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 25
11 a.m. — Arms Control Association annual meeting, hosted at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif; former Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification Mallory Stewart; Senior International/Defense Researcher at RAND Kingston Reif; and Fifth General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation Bridget Moix https://www.armscontrol.org/2025AnnualMeeting