Trump renames the Department of Defense to the Department of War

President of the United States Donald Trump signed a decree renaming the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of War. This was announced during a broadcast by the White House.

The position of the minister, which is currently held by Pete Hegseth, is also being renamed.

"I think it's a much more appropriate name, especially given the state of the world right now. We have the most powerful army in the world. We have the best equipment in the world. We have the best manufacturers of equipment, by far. We have no equal... [Air Defense Systems] Patriot – the best. In every branch of military affairs, we do the best, by far," Trump said.

The US military department was already known as the Department of War from 1789 to 1947, after which, as part of a series of large-scale reforms, it was renamed the Department of Defense.

• At the end of August, Trump said that he did not want to limit himself to defense, but "he wants an offensive as well".