Monterey’s Defense Language Institute (DLI) will keep its name despite the Department of Defense being renamed the Department of War through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order, signed on September 8, 2025, allows the Pentagon to be called the Department of War, with the website changing from “defense.gov” to “war.gov” and signage updated accordingly. However, DLI responded briefly that it has no plans to change its name, and its website still refers to it as “DLIFLC,” the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
- DLI will keep its current name.
- Trump signed order to rebrand Pentagon as War.
- Congress must approve the new agency name.
- DLI has no plans to change its name.
- Pentagon website changed to "war.gov."
- Last renamed the Department of War in 1940s.
While the Pentagon’s website and signage have been updated to reflect the new Department of War name, DLI clarified it will retain its current name. The institute’s website continues to highlight its role as a premier foreign language training school for the Department of Defense. The last time the agency was called the Department of War was in the 1940s before President Harry Truman renamed it the Department of Defense. The executive order, effective immediately, does not require congressional approval for the name change, but Congress would need to act to formalize it.
- The executive order signed on September 8, 2025, rebrands the Pentagon as the Department of War.
- The Pentagon’s website now uses “war.gov” instead of “defense.gov.”
- DLI in Monterey confirmed it will keep its current name and branding.
- The agency’s last name change to the Department of War was in the 1940s.
This decision highlights that individual military institutions can choose to retain their identities despite broader government rebranding efforts. The implications could affect official communication and branding strategies moving forward.
As the Pentagon adopts the Department of War branding, DLI’s choice to stay with its current name underscores its established identity and reputation. The next steps depend on congressional approval if the name change is to be formalized nationwide.
