Senate Panel Advances FY 2027 NDAA with Permanent 'Department of War' Renaming
The legislative effort to permanently rename the Department of Defense (DOD) to the Department of War has advanced in the upper chamber of Congress. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) voted 18-9 to advance its version of the $1.14 trillion Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), incorporating an amendment sponsored by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) to codify the name change.
The development mirrors a parallel party-line vote in the House Armed Services Committee, signaling a unified congressional Republican push to permanently adopt the "Department of War" moniker. While the name change has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats who label it a regressive and "juvenile" rebranding, the provision remains firmly embedded in both the House and Senate versions of the must-pass defense policy bill heading toward full chamber votes.
"Rather than taking steps to end this deeply unpopular war, this bill rebrands the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a juvenile move that sadly describes the reality of a president who has abandoned meaningful diplomacy in favor of starting doubtful wars in multiple locations and threatening even more." — Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
"The Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a draft annual defense policy bill that reduces proposed pay raises for troops, renames the Department of Defense to the Department of War and allows the creation of a new autonomous systems combatant command." — Svetlana Shkolnikova, Stars and Stripes