Time to Rename the Defense Department the War Department?
The U.S. Congress created the Department of War in 1789. One hundred and sixty years later, in 1949, it became the Department of Defense. The various factors involved in the name change likely included fatigue with death and destruction after World War II. But these factors may also have included salesmanship among the dogs of war, soft-selling their wares. Two years after the name change, President Truman and friends took the nation to war with the newly named Department of Defense, albeit without a formal declaration of war by Congress. He called Korea a “police action.” History has taken him to task on that one, and it is now commonly called the “Korean War.” We’ve had lots of wars since then, as well, but not a single formal declaration of war since World War II.
In November 2002, a new entity arrived when the Department of Homeland Security was established. The DHS had seemingly laudable goals, on the surface. But the question arises — if we already had a Department of Defense, why did we need a Department of Homeland Security? Back in 2003, I asked this question of a top political historian, and he responded “Bill, don’t be silly. We need the Department of Defense to protect our troops overseas!” Read more
