Before 1947, the military of the United States was run by two different departments, the War Department for the army and the Department of the Navy for naval issues. After World War II General Dwight Eisenhower and other military leaders suggested that consolidating the two departments into one would prove more effective in defending the nation. The new agency was called the National Military Establishment and included the Air Force which had become more and more important during the war.
Before long there were jokes about the abbreviation of the new department, NME, which sounded a bit too much like “enemy, so the name was changed again in 1949 to the Department of Defense with the idea that war was the last resort but vigilance and continuing defense was necessary in an ever changing and often dangerous world.
Those who had participated in the world wars understood that war was a terrible thing that should be avoided when possible. They had seen death and destruction firsthand and they hoped that the military of the United States would concentrate on being a deterrent to warfare. They eschewed the idea that it was a “War” department because that denotation implied that our country was belligerent rather than devoted to keeping the peace.
Now we have Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth flexing their muscles and blustering that the United States needs to be out front with dominating strength. The President has singlehandedly added a new designation of the Defense Department by calling it the the War Department, a task that he does not actually have the power to do. It is the job of Congress to decide such things but as we have seen Trump just keeps furiously signing one executive order after another including changing the names of bodies of water around the United States.
“What’s in a name?”, you may ask. Why does it even matter? Perhaps it is indeed a rather minor thing that does not really hurt anyone but the cost of changing all of the signage, stationary, etc. will be enormous. This seems particularly wasteful given that Congress keeps insisting that they are attempting to save money right and left by closing down government agencies, withdrawing funding for countless programs, reducing the number of people eligible for Medicaid and so forth. To then have the president turn around and spend public funds in a frivolous effort to rebrand a department that has done just fine with its 1949 name feels totally unnecessary.
The other aspect has to do with words. Calling it the War Department gives the impression that our country is itching for a fight. It implies a kind of bullying bluster that will anger our allies and enemies alike. It is a kind of taunt and we all know that in the wrong situation at the wrong time taunts can lead to dire consequences. We should not sound like a nation that is eager to display our warlike tendencies. We should not be no better than terrorist nations that are always using threats to keep peace. Ours has been a very successful nuanced message that we are dedicated to peace but have the power to defend ourselves if needed.
No real hero likes war. It is something to be avoided at all costs. Those who served in the Korean War like my father-in-law fully understand the horrors of watching buddies and commanders lose their lives. My uncles who served in World War II wanted nothing more to do with conflict once the war was over. War is hell, not some macho way of demonstrating manly traits. In a twist of total irony our president who never served in the military is an avid booster of the idea that being warlike like is a sign of strength. Those who have seen the realities of such events would more often than not beg to differ with him.
I realize that there have been times when we had to go to war. I am not foolish enough to believe that we should never show our strength when our safety is being threatened but war itself should always be a last resort. We should only go to war when it becomes apparent that there is no other alternative. Surely we learned these things in World War I and World War II. Surely our intervention into the affairs of Korea and Vietnam should have shown us that sometimes the people of a foreign nation would prefer to settle for peace than to keep fighting to the death. We know from our own Civil War that our nation has yet to completely recover from the anger and breeches of that conflict. War is not something to boast about or to desire.
I suppose that in the grand scheme of things the name change is not the worst thing that has happened. It mostly just seems like a waste of time and funds. it also sends an horrific message that glorifies war, a state of chaos and death. I would much rather think that our military is there to defend us and keep us safe from such things. I don’t think that being aggressive is something about which to boast.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 