On December 5, Elliot Ackerman, non-resident senior fellow at Forward Defense, published a piece in the Atlantic entitled “Bring Back the War Department.” Ackerman, a Marine veteran, speaks on the successes and failures of the Department of Defense since its creation in 1947. He argues that a reversion of the name to the former “Department of War” could influence the way the United States conducts wars in the future. He writes, “If you want a clear strategy for winning wars, don’t play a semantic game with the name of the department that’s charged with the strategy’s execution. Call things what they are.”
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
