Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 5 changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. When this happened, I saw my social media express mild outrage. The sentiment I saw was that Trump is being hypocritical since on the campaign trail, he declared himself the “president of peace.” While I agree with that sentiment, this isn’t an unexpected or even unprecedented change. Trump just said the quiet part out loud: in the United States, defense has always meant war.
To be clear, I’m not commending this choice by Trump. I am sure he himself does not see the actual irony in the fact that the country spends $1.94 trillion on military spending, and then calls the department responsible for this area of spending defense. Not to mention the $12 billion sent in military spending to Israel to support an active genocide on Palestinian civilians. Trump readily supports both forms of spending, unlike spending towards Medicaid for actual United States citizens, which was cut by the Big Beautiful Bill this year.
Recently, in Los Angeles, Trump deployed the National Guard — illegally — due to the protests against ICE. So I ask, when the sitting president deploys the military against American citizens, how is that defense? Is it defending the protesters in Los Angeles who are expressing their freedom of assembly? I cannot logically say that it is for the purpose of defense when the military is deployed against the very citizens they are sworn to protect. I also think this makes it clear that this renaming is a threat to even American citizens. The military will be used as an arm of war, not defense.
This didn’t start with Trump; the United States has always had this culture of intense militarization. During Barack Obama’s presidency, he joked to the Jonas brothers that a pass at his daughters would result in a drone strike. This joke came as Obama ordered 542 drone strikes, causing 3,797 casualties, with 324 being civilians. I remember when I first saw this clip as a kid, I laughed. Now understanding what Obama did during his presidency, I cannot help but feel deep sadness for the people bombed in the same manner he joked about. Obama’s joke was met with laughter and a mild media backlash, but we all know the truth behind the joke: if the president wants it, people can and will die.
This country’s militarization lies in the fact that we, as American citizens, are shown time and time again that the government will withhold things like education and wealth behind the military. I remember in high school seeing the military recruitment booth at job fairs or having whole class periods be taken up by soldiers in full uniform, telling us to join and all the benefits we could reap if we did. We preach to students that the price of education is to serve something they might not believe in. I remember seriously considering these offers despite my moral objection to the military because, in the end, the benefits that were offered were great. I was extremely lucky I did not have to take those offers, but I have no judgment for those who did, because ultimately, I understand. The cost of education in America is too great not to consider what seems to be a golden ticket.
That’s why this change shouldn’t be shocking. The government has proved time and time again that it will use anything it can to enforce a strong military presence throughout the world. We will spend ridiculous amounts of money to win an arms race that’s been over. Because the truth is, it was never about defense. It was always about war with whoever the government determines the enemy is, even if it is us.
