Most of the U.S. Jewish groups that JNS contacted about U.S. President Donald Trump’s intention to refer to the Defense Department as the Department of War declined to comment on what that change—which appears to require congressional approval—might mean for Israel.

Several told JNS that the executive order to that effect, which Trump reportedly intends to sign on Friday, projects strength to U.S. enemies.

The name change “signals a profound shift in how America understands its role in the world,” Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, told JNS.

“Defense conveys restraint, necessity and protection,” he said. “War suggests aggression, initiative and the projection of power. It is a blunt reminder to our adversaries that America will not be passive.”

The change could be r

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