WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump wants to bring back an old name for the Department of Defence — the “Department of War” with the Trump administration is pressing ahead with plans to do so, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing a White House official. 

The former title was last used more than 70 years ago, but Trump said that it sounds stronger and better reflects his vision of a military that focuses on offence as well as defence. 

The White House is now looking at ways to make the change happen for the government’s largest department, with some Republicans already backing the move, the report said.

Republican Representative Greg Steube of Florida has filed an amendment to the annual defence policy bill to alter the department’s name, signalling some Republican support in Congress for the move.

The White House did not provide details but highlighted Trump’s remarks this week stressing the US military’s offensive power.

“As President Trump said, our military should be focused on offence – not just defence – which is why he has prioritised warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and so-called woke ideology. Stay tuned!” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, using DEI to refer to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Trump floated the idea of bringing back the “Department of War” name while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying it “just sounded to me better.”

“It used to be called the Department of War and it had a stronger sound,” Trump said. “We want defence, but we want offence too … As Department of War we won everything, we won everything and I think we’re going to have to go back to that.”

The War Department became the Department of Defense gradually, starting with the National Security Act of 1947, which unified the Army, Navy and Air Force under the National Military Establishment.

An amendment in 1949 officially adopted the “Department of Defense” name, creating the structure that exists today.

Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have been pushing to project a more aggressive image of the military while pursuing other changes, including removing senior military leaders seen as being out of step with Trump.

The Trump administration has also attempted to bar transgender individuals from joining the US military and remove those already serving. The Pentagon maintains that transgender people are medically unfit, a claim civil rights advocates reject as discriminatory and unlawful.

• Trump was earlier scheduled to attend Quad summit in India.
• Tensions between Trump, Modi deepened after June phone call.
• Modi since shifted focus toward alternative partnerships.
  

US President Donald Trump has dropped plan to visit India later this year, as trade frictions and political disagreements strain relations between Washington and New Delhi, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. 

The development comes after months of escalating tensions, with both sides struggling to make progress on trade talks. In recent weeks, the United States doubled tariffs on Indian goods to as high as 50% over India’s continuing imports of Russian oil.

A punitive 25% tariff, imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil, was added to Trump’s prior 25% tariff on many imports from the South Asian nation. It takes total duties as high as 50% for goods as varied as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals — among the highest imposed by the US and roughly on par with Brazil and China.

According to people familiar with the matter, Trump had earlier assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would attend a Quad summit in India later this year. However, the visit has now been removed from his schedule.

The cancellation reflects a sharp downturn in the relationship between the two leaders, who once publicly celebrated their partnership at mass rallies in Houston and Gujarat.

Tensions between Trump and Modi deepened after a June phone call, during which the US president claimed personal credit for defusing military hostilities between India and Pakistan earlier this year.

Trump said that Pakistan was set to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and implied that India should consider doing the same. Modi rejected the claim, insisting that the ceasefire had been arranged directly between New Delhi and Islamabad without American mediation.

The disagreement coincided with worsening trade friction. Indian officials had hoped to finalise a limited trade deal to ease tariff pressure, but talks collapsed amid growing mistrust.

Washington’s measures have unsettled New Delhi, where Trump’s actions are increasingly seen as heavy-handed. One senior Indian official described the approach as “bullying.”

Modi has since shifted focus toward alternative partnerships. He arrived in China today to meet President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, signalling India’s intent to balance ties as relations with Washington sour.

The White House has maintained that the two leaders retain a “respectful relationship” and remain in communication. However, the absence of a US presidential visit is widely viewed as a setback for bilateral ties at a time when both nations face crucial economic and security challenges.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Saturday said their prime minister had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the most senior official known to have died in a series of attacks during the Gaza war.Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials in the Israeli attack on Thursday, the Iran-backed Huthis said.

Israel has been striking Huthi targets for months in response to missile attacks by the rebels, who claim solidarity with the Palestinians and have also been harassing shipping in the Red Sea.

“We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi… along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy,” a Huthi statement said.

“Others among their companions were injured with moderate to serious wounds and are receiving medical care since Thursday afternoon,” it added.

On Thursday, Israeli forces said they “struck a Huthi terrorist regime military target”. Unsourced Yemeni media reports of Rahawi’s death were not confirmed at the time.

The Huthis called the gathering that was hit “a routine workshop organised by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year”.

US-based Yemen analyst Mohammed Al Basha said the Israeli operation pointed to a change in strategy after previously targeting infrastructure such as ports and power stations.

“The strikes indicate a shift in Israeli operational focus away from transportation and energy infrastructure toward targeted assassinations of high-value personnel,” Basha, author of the Basha Report, told AFP.

It is “an escalation that, regardless of the final casualty count, is likely to shake the Houthi leadership at its core”, he added.

“This operation bears the hallmarks of a signals intelligence–driven strike, and it is possible that additional senior Huthi leaders were en route to the location.”

Rahawi had made a public appearance on Wednesday, attending an event organised by the Huthi Ministry of Endowments in Sanaa.

He came from the southern province of Abyan, which is not part of the large swathes of Yemen under Huthi control.

The rebels have traditionally reserved the premiership for southerners in an attempt to win hearts and minds in the south.

Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Ahmed Miftah was appointed as interim prime minister following Rahawi’s death, the Huthis announced separately.

The rebel group is part of Iran’s “axis of resistance”, an anti-Israel alliance of militant groups across much of the Middle East.