India-US Defence Ties: In yet another bizarre move, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restore the nomenclature of the US ‘Department of Defense’ to US ‘Department of War’. According to the White House, the rebranding will enable the United States to demonstrate Washington’s “ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend.”
As a result of the move, the ‘Secretary of Defense’ rank will now be designated as ‘Secretary of War’, once the nomenclature change is approved by the US Congress. Once approved, the Department of Defense and the Office of the Secretary of Defense will be referred to as the Department of War and the Office of the Secretary of War, respectively.
The Department of War, established in 1789, led the U.S. to victory in the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, inspiring confidence in America’s military strength.
In a fact sheet issued later, the White House said, “Restoring the name Department of War will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests.”
It added, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. military delivered a decisive and obliterating strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities, demonstrating America’s unmatched military power and deterring further aggression.”
So what does the move mean for countries like India, which is a ‘Major Defence Partner’ of the United States?
According to experts, the move is yet another attempt by President Trump to project his image as a “powerful and strong” leader of the United States and is meant mostly for the domestic audience, making “little or no difference” to its partners like India.
The decision has not gone down well within the Trump administration itself, even as the Pentagon will have to undergo a gigantic change by rebranding all its seals on over 700,000 of its facilities, which include the 50 states and 40 countries, according to a report by Politico.
Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary of India, told ABP Live, “Trump has always been unpredictable and difficult. He has no coherent foreign or security policies. On one hand, he claims he deserves the Nobel Peace prize, and on the other, he is projecting war. His impulse is contradictory. How can you think of peace if you are thinking of war?”
“This will, nevertheless, be embarrassing for India. From now on, whenever India and the US have the 2+2 dialogue or when both defence ministers meet, India’s counterpart will be referred to as Secretary of War in the official joint statements,” he said.
Michael Kugelman, a leading Washington-based South Asia expert, agreed. He said: “This rebrand is ironic, given that this is a president who claims to want to end wars and keep his country out of them. And yet a name change meant to project US military power would appear to send a different type of signal. This may also be a reflection of the administration’s posture shift toward focusing the military’s attention on issues closer to home, with the potential aim of declaring new wars on illegal immigration and on drugs.”
“Since this is, at the end of the day, a cosmetic change, there shouldn’t be any notable impacts for India and its neighbourhood. But there may be some awkwardness for Indian officials about a country that doesn’t do military alliances discussing defence cooperation with a department of war,” Kugelman added.
Sibal, also currently the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), told ABP Live, the move is Trump’s way of also signalling that the US is now spending trillions of Dollars in its defence budget.
“Lethality over legality is now the motto for Trump, even though it is a disturbing proposition. This is also a signal to Latin American countries. It seems the US is planning something there. But largely, this has been done to appease his MAGA (Make America Great Again) audience,” he stressed.
Kugelman added, “The rebrand is meant to appeal to a domestic audience, meant to bolster pride in US military power. But, China and other US rivals could well use this as a propaganda opportunity, and accuse Washington of engaging in warmongering behavior even while it purports to be a force for peace in the world.”
The US defence budget has seen a rapid increase, surpassing $1 trillion for the first time in the FY2026 budget, which allocated $1.01 trillion in total, with $961 billion designated for the Department of Defence. For the calendar year 2024, the US is dedicating $997 billion to its military, making it the highest military spending in the world and accounting for nearly 40% of global military expenditures.
This significant funding supports a range of programmes, including the development of conventional and hypersonic weapons, missile defence systems, and operational costs such as transportation, fuel, and maintenance.
India was recognised as the ‘Major Defence Partner’ of the United States under the Barack Obama administration in 2016. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last visit to the U.S. in February 2025, both sides launched US-India Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology (COMPACT) for the Twenty-First Century with the objective to bolster defense cooperation and manufacturing.
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