During his address to the United States Air Force Academy on Saturday, Pete Hegseth appeared to debut a new take on the Department of Defense logo.

Styled as the “Department of War” in an executive order in September 2025, the department has made several changes in the last 12 months, and the logo on the lectern appears to herald the latest rebrand.

The simplified design contrasts sharply with the version previously used, with the new logo stripped of olive branches, laurel leaves and the 13 stars radiating from the historic seal. The new monochrome design has just five stars and stark, hard-edged lines on the eagle’s wings, and is more geometric and angular.

The new logo quickly drew attention from critics on social media, who compared the stylized eagle to the straight-edged Reichsadler used by Nazi Germany and often positioned behind Adolf Hitler in speeches in a series of viral posts.

Comedy writer Zack Morrison wrote on X: “There’s no such thing as an accidentally Nazi,” while a side-by-side picture of Hegseth’s recent speech and Hitler at a Nuremberg rally continues to circulate on the social site.

Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment but received no response.

Hegseth’s new logo comes just a month after the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said DHS will update its seal by turning the eagle toward the arrows rather than the palm branch.

During the announcement, Mullin described DHS as being “at war every single day” against threats ranging from terrorism and drug cartels to cyberattacks and drones.

Behind The Department’s Branding

On the DOD’s official website, the logo is still a line drawing of the Pentagon building, while its official seal remains a version of the original seal from 1949.

Official guidelines say the logo, revised in 2025 to “give a more classic and formal treatment,” should be used in all department communications and on media platforms. The seal, by contrast, is far more detailed, incorporating traditional military and national symbols including olive branches representing peace and arrows representing military readiness.

Guidelines say that three items critical to “proper DOW visual branding” include the official logo use, approved typefaces and the brand color palette.

The image shown during Hegseth’s address differs from both the Pentagon line logo and the official seal, instead featuring a simplified eagle emblem rendered in a monochrome style with “Department of War” encircling it in a font that does not seem to match those in the brand guidelines.

Trump’s Changes to Department of Defense

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reshaped the Pentagon with a series of changes, not least the “Department of War” rebrand.

The department was known as the War Department from 1789 until 1947, but became the Department of Defense under the National Security Act after World War II. In a 2025 executive order, Trump renamed the department the “Department of War” once again, though Congress has not officially renamed the Department of Defense.

The administration has also ended many diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the military, reintroduced restrictions on transgender military service through Executive Order 14183 and installed a new civilian leadership team headed by Hegseth.