# United States Department of War **Aliases:** Department of War; DoW **Entity class:** Secondary executive-branch title used for the Department of Defense ## Definition In the 2026 source record, **Department of War** is the secondary title used by the executive branch for the [[wiki/United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]. The statutory department and its legal authorities remain those of the Department of Defense unless Congress changes the law. Source quotations using “Department of War” should be preserved while analysis maps the title to the continuing department. ## Relationships - **statutory department:** [[wiki/United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]. - **appears in:** [[wiki/Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel|JIATF-CC]] and 2026 defense records. - **command authority:** [[wiki/Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] and [[wiki/President of the United States|President]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [USNORTHCOM — JIATF-CC established, January 15, 2026](https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article/Article/4381245/joint-interagency-task-force-counter-cartel-jiatf-cc-established/)