Once Again the Washington Post Demonstrates Their Complete Ignorance of ALL Things Military by Claiming the Department of War Became the Department of Defense in 1949

 

On 26 August 2025 the Washington Post (WaPo) ran this article erroneously claiming that the Department of War became the Department of Defense in 1949:

Trump wants a ‘Department of War.’ Here’s why it’s not called that anymore

By Andrew Jeong August 26, 2025

“The Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense under President Harry S. Truman …. After World War II ended in 1945, Truman orchestrated a broad reorganization of the old War Department — which became the Defense Department in 1949.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025/08/26/trump-war-department-defense-rename/

Then On 4 September the WaPo doubled down on its error with this article containing the same misinformation although worded a little differently:

Trump to rebrand Defense Department as War Department

By Tara Copp and Natalie Allison, 4 September 2025 7:48 p.m. ET

“…. Following World War II, the War Department was temporarily renamed the National Military Establishment. A 1949 amendment renamed the agency once again to its current name, the Department of Defense.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/04/trump-war-department/

With this amount of misinformation in these articles, the WaPo clearly demonstrates that they are as totally ignorant about ALL thing Military as Trump and Hegseth appear to be. I have included the links to each of these articles so skeptics of The Old Colonel can see for themselves that he is not exaggerating. Now the inconvenient FACTS:

The Department of War was what is now the Department of the Army from 1798 to 1947. During that time both the Department of War and the Department of the Navy were full members of the President’s Cabinet.

On 26 July 1947, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which established the National Military Establishment (NME) and created the National Security Council, National Security Resources Board, United States Air Force, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The NME was placed under the control of the new post of secretary of defense. The National Military Establishment became operational on 18 September 1947 and was renamed the "Department of Defense” on 10 August 1949, when it absorbed the formerly cabinet-level military departments. Now the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (containing the Navy and Marine Corps) and the Department of the Air Force (containing the Air Force and Space Force) are subordinate to the Secretary of Defense who is the only one in the President’s Cabinet.

If Trump really wants to recreate the Department of War, he should eliminate the entire Department of Defense and elevate the Departments of War, Navy and Air Force back to being Members of his Cabinet.