Wikipedia: The War Department existed for 158 years, from August 7, 1789, to September 18, 1947, when it split into the Department of the Army and the Departmen

Wikipedia: The War Department existed for 158 years, from August 7, 1789, to September 18, 1947, when it split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force under the National Security Act of 1947, joining the Department of the Navy to form the National Military Establishment (NME). In 1949, the NME was renamed the Department of Defense (DOD). It's personal taste, of course, but Department of Defense sounds mealy-mouthed to me. I actually like the idea of going back to the original name.