(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to rename the Department of Defense the "Department of War."

"It used to be called the Department of War. It had a stronger sound ... we are defenders," Trump said from the Oval Office, surrounded by members of his Cabinet. "If you people behind me want to take a little vote and change it back to what it was when we used to win wars all the time, that's OK with me... We want defense but we want offense too, OK?"

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth replied, "It's coming soon, sir."

Under President George Washington, Congress established the U.S. War Department in 1789 to oversee the "operation and maintenance of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps," according to the White House.

Fast-forward to 1949, and the National Security Act

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