Rep. John McGuire Introduces the Peace Through Strength Act of 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative John McGuire (VA-05) introduced the Peace Through Strength Act of 2025. This bill codifies President Trump's Executive Order 14347, which renames the Department of Defense to the Department of War.

"We wouldn't have a country without our men and women in uniform," said Rep. McGuire. "These warfighters make up the world's strongest and most lethal fighting force. But names have important meanings and convey certain messages to both friends and foes. Our world is too dangerous for us not to project strength at every opportunity. Thanks to President Trump, our military has regained its original purpose: fighting the nation's battles and wars. My bill, the Peace Through Strength Act, revives our warfighting department's historic name to signal to the world that we're not here to play word games. We're here to fight and win if we must."

Background:

President George Washington established the Department of War on August 7, 1789. Over the next 150 years, the Department of War, alongside the later-formed Department of the Navy, fought and won some of the most fearsome conflicts the world has ever seen, including the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.

Our Armed Forces deserve to fight under a banner that commands respect from our allies and strikes fear into our enemies. The Peace Through Strength Act of 2025will demonstrate America's comprehensive commitment to deterring and fighting wars by redesignating the "Department of Defense" to the "Department of War." Specifically, this bill would:

• Change every reference in the United States Code from "Department of Defense" to "Department of War" and from "Secretary of Defense" to "Secretary of War"
• Enable subordinate officials within the Department to use secondary titles such as "Deputy Secretary of War" or "Under Secretary of War"

Read the full bill text here.

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