Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says the Department of Defense was given its new moniker—the “Department of War”—to signal “we want peace.”
Hegseth, 45, was asked about the department’s new secondary title Monday in an interview with Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to fellow Cabinet member, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
“Words matter. Titles matter… The motto of my first platoon was ‘Those who long for peace must prepare for war,’” Hegseth said. “It’s because we want peace. It’s because we seek peace. It’s because the American people deserve peace.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday giving the Department of Defense the new, secondary title. Though Hegseth and the White House have been posting on social media about how Hegseth is now the “Secretary of War,” his official title remains “Secretary of Defense” until Congress votes to formally rename the Department of Defense. Republican Sen. Rand Paul has stated he will lead opposition to any moves to formally push the name change through Congress.
Though Hegseth has stated the “Department of War” “wants peace,” the department has come under fire from critics across the political spectrum after it blew up a small Venezuelan boat suspected of carrying members of a drug cartel last week. Sen. Paul was among the Republicans hitting out at the move, saying the attack and the administration’s attitude towards it, particularly J.D. Vance’s, shows a “disdain for human life and a disdain for due process.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Hegseth for comment.
On social media, commentators have noted that Hegseth’s quote recalls George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. In the book, The Party’s slogans are “War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength.”
“‘War is Peace,’ huh?”, wrote one commenter on X.
“Almost literally ‘War is Peace.’ 1984 but with vetbro podcasts,” wrote another.
“War is peace” huh? https://t.co/0W78uN6Luv
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd on blu sky) (@rothschildmd) September 10, 2025
Others recalled a more recent reference, comparing Hegseth’s quote to a line Peacemaker says in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
Multiple commenters posted GIFs of Peacemaker saying, “I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women, and children I need to kill to get it.”
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