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, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.