Trump warned Pentagon name change makes US a 'laughing stock' as he's set to sign new executive order

Donald Trump is set to sign another controversial executive order today (September 5).

Trump is no stranger to executive orders and signed a series of them with his infamous signature within just a few hours of reprising his presidential role in January.

Many have been quite unpopular, the 'big beautiful bill' being a prime example.

Now, he's poised to sign yet another bill that will rebrand the Pentagon for the first time in decades.

The administration wants the Department of Defense (DOD) to be known as the Department of War, as per documents seen by the BBC.

Calling to use the new name as a secondary title, the order reportedly states: "The name 'Department of War' conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to 'Department of Defense,' which emphasizes only defensive capabilities."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pictured with President Trump earlier this week (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The bill also instructs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to propose both legislative and executive actions to make the name US Department of War permanent.

Discussing the upcoming change, Hegseth told Fox News: "We won WWI, and we won WWII, not with the Department of Defense, but with a War Department, with the Department of War. As the president has said, we're not just defense, we're offense."

He went on: "We've reestablished at the Department the warrior ethos. We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy.

"We don't want endless contingencies and just playing defense. We think words and names and titles matter. So, we're working with the White House and the president on it. Stand by."

The bill that will see the DOD's name officially changed is expected to be signed today (Getty Stock Image)

While Hegseth is very much in favor of the change, other Americans are much less so.

"This is so stupid and it’s going to make us a laughing stock in front of both our allies and our enemies," one Twitter user fumed.

Another agreed: "Renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, because it is more intimidating to our adversaries, is stupid."

Somebody else questioned: "I don't understand why he wants to do this? Just a whim?"

A different person argued: "Changing the name of DoD to Department of War is dumb for lots of reasons, but not least of which is it's just a huge waste of money."

Others compared the pending name change to Trump's controversial decision to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico to be the Gulf of America, which the administration said became 'official' back in January.

Trump previously insisted the US had an 'unbelievable history of victory' under the Department of War name, before it was changed in 1947.

What do you think of the DOD being renamed as the Department of War?

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