In an egregious exercise in saber rattling and ego gratification by members of the current regime, which has not yet approved and likely will not approved by the US Senate, an executive order was issued renaming the Department of Defense the “Department of War.”

The Department of Defense was established in 1949 as part of the National Security Act passed by the 81st Congress in order to provide central coordination and command for the, then, four armed services branches, the Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force. The history, prior to the creation of the Department of Defense in 1949 is fascinating and can be read in detail HERE. 

Today, DOD is among the largest employers in the world, with more than one million active duty service members, more than 800,000 members of the Guard and Reserve, and more than 700,000 civilian employees.