Congress created the United States Department of Defense in 1949 as part of a comprehensive effort to modernize the military and adapt to the international order that was taking shape after World War II. Now President Donald Trump wants to change its name to the Department of War , its former name. That’s a mistake.

National defense is and should be the primary mission of our military. Projecting strength, working with our allies and countering our adversaries through diplomacy has helped keep us safe and prosperous. That’s a legacy that we should affirm, not abandon.

When the Defense Department was established, the Soviet Union was expanding its influence rapidly, leading to the creation of NATO; the Soviets were about to detonate a nuclear bomb. Mao Zedong was declaring the People’s

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