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During a press briefing on August 25, Trump discussed this idea twice and dismissed concerns about Congress. “We’re just going to do it,” he said. “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that.”
He explained, “It used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound.” Citing the recent successful military operation against Iran using B-2 stealth bombers, Trump argued, “Defense is too defensive. We want to be both defensive and offensive.”
When the First Congress met in 1789, they established three departments: the Department of State, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of War (now known as the Department of Defense). In 1798, a separate Department of Navy was created. After World War II, the National Security Act of 1947 merged these into one department.
In 1949, this department was renamed to the Department of Defense to reflect civilian leadership and its mission to deter war and protect national security.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY.
