Ah, the irony of it all. In the old days

[Jackpine Radical]

when we only went to war to defend ourselves, we called it the War Department.

Nowadays, in an era when we go to war for purposes of aggrandizement and empire, we call it the Defense Department.

(And yes, I know. I've read Smedley B too. But still...)

[iamjoy]

1. This Has Occurred to Me As Well

it's not all aggrandizement, I think some of it is "pre-emptive." The whole doctrine of pre-emption becomes the equivalent of hitting a guy for looking at you the wrong way.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. FYI the name changed came in 1947 with the National Security Act

it also saw the origin of the AF, as well as the CIA...

It was part of the formalization of the National Security State and the beginning of the Cold war.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Yes, I know, Nadin.

It was essentially the moment when we went from thinking of wars as exceptional times to accepting the Forever War in one form or another. And, although you could argue that we had been at war for most of the century before that (Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Moro Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion, endless little wars in Central America, etc.), those wars didn't require the large standing military that we've had since 1941, and didn't register on the national consciousness in the same sort of way. Which is why I added the comment about Smedley Butler.

[Radical Activist]

3. Those days lasted until around 1812, right?

Wars of aggression are as American as apple pie.

[Recursion]

5. In 1636 the Massachusetts colonists joined an already-existing war...

between the Pequots and Narragansetts.

War and aggression are, sadly, as human as opposable thumbs.

[bobbolink]

8. There is a big difference between cultural certainties, and "human nature"

For war to be "human nature" it would have to be true all over the world.

It is not.

There are cultures that have been peaceful throughout their existance, and have even resisted being drawn into conflict.

The history of the Senoi comes to mind.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Beginners-Guide-to-the-Senoi-and-Lucid-Dreaming&id=3896412

No, we need to look to our violent culture instead of blaming our genes. We are responsible for our violent actions.

[Recursion]

4. As I understand the logic

The War Department prepared for and from time to time prosecuted wars.

The Defense Department reflected a post-nuclear reality in which conflicts would not necessarily be "wars" anymore.

[CatholicEdHead]

6. It was changed to the Department of Homeland Security

soon after 9/11. Even worse semantics.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Well, I believe we have both a DOD and DHS.

[midnight]

10. K&R.