Restoring the United States Department of War

The order directs that the Secretary of Defense may use "Secretary of War" as an additional secondary title in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory executive branch documents. Subordinate officials may use corresponding secondary titles such as Deputy Secretary of War or Under Secretary of War in the same contexts. All executive departments and agencies must recognize and accommodate these secondary titles as long as doing so does not create confusion with legal, statutory, or international obligations.

The order expressly preserves all existing statutory references to the Department of Defense, which remain controlling until changed by law. It does not itself rename the department, create any new legal authorities, or restructure DoD in any way. Within 30 days, the Secretary must notify the President of any component that begins using the secondary designation; within 60 days, the Secretary must submit a recommendation — including proposed legislative and executive actions — on how to accomplish a permanent, legally binding rename.

The Secretary of Defense and subordinate DoD officials who may now use "Secretary of War" and related secondary titles in non-statutory settings. All other executive departments and agencies are directed to recognize and accommodate these secondary titles in their communications.

Federal agencies, foreign governments, and the public will encounter "Department of War" branding in official but non-statutory contexts, while legal documents and international agreements continue to use "Department of Defense." The practical effect of any permanent rename depends entirely on future congressional legislation the order has not yet secured.

The order creates a two-track system: an immediate secondary-title authorization (self-executing, no rulemaking required) and a longer-term legislative pathway. The Secretary of Defense reports to the President through the National Security Advisor on which components adopt the new designation (30-day window) and then delivers a renaming recommendation with proposed legislative text and executive actions (60-day window). No enforcement mechanism or appropriations trigger attaches to the secondary-title use itself; the permanent rename cannot take effect without a future act of Congress.