War Department? Netizens blast US for its war fixation

US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Pentagon as the Department of War has unleashed a wave of condemnation from activists, journalists, and commentators worldwide, with many saying the move lays bare Washington’s addiction to endless wars and militarism.

Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the Department of Defense to be once again known as the Department of War, restoring the name it last held in the 1940s.

Critics and commentators flooded social media platform X, saying the Republican leader’s decision tears away decades of Washington’s lies and exposes a system built on endless intervention and the enrichment of weapons manufacturers.

Award-winning journalist Hala Jaber described the move as a “clear statement of intent,” saying, “The mask has been removed and war is now official policy.”

Author and philosopher Jason Hicke called the announcement “wonderful news,” arguing the Pentagon had always been about imperial aggression rather than defense.

Peace activist Medea Benjamin welcomed the new name's bluntness but quipped that “Department-to-make-the-merchants-of-death-rich” would be even more fitting.

Independent outlets and campaigners also weighed in. A user named Power to the People said the rebrand was “for once” a decision he agreed with, given that the US runs 800 bases in 80 countries to fuel “for-profit wars.”

Filmmaker James Li went further, saying, “The function of the modern US military is basically to invade countries that don’t want to give us their oil and to bomb whoever Israel tells us to.”

Human rights activist Alonso Gurmendi said the title was more accurate but still incomplete.
“The US has not deployed force in self-defense since 1945. A more accurate name would be Department of Foreign War and Military Intervention.”

Others highlighted the domestic costs. Researcher Michael Harrison warned that the change signals “endless militarism, bigger military budgets, and less for schools, healthcare, and infrastructure.”

The White House has yet to say how much a rebrand would cost, but US media expect a billion-dollar price tag for the overhaul of hundreds of agencies, emblems, email addresses, and uniforms.

For some netizens, the shift was less a rebrand than a confession. Ahmed Hassan said the name “Department of War” reveals the true nature of the United States more clearly.

“With all the countries destroyed, the millions killed, and the bombings targeting most countries around the world in the name of defense, the name War is more logical and realistic, and reveals the true nature of America more clearly,” he said.

And Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani called the renaming “the most honest thing a US president has done in years,” adding that Israel’s military should also adopt a truthful label: the “Israeli Genocidal Baby-Killing Forces.”

The move, critics argue, comes as Washington continues to support Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, supplying weapons and political cover for the regime's mass killing of civilians.

They believe the “Department of War” branding is not just symbolic, but a blunt reminder that US militarism and Israeli apartheid are intertwined — with Palestinians paying the highest price. 

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