Back ABŞ Müharibə Departamenti Azerbaijani Kriegsministerium der Vereinigten Staaten German Departamento de Guerra de los Estados Unidos Spanish وزارت جنگ ایالات متحده آمریکا Persian Département de la Guerre des États-Unis French מחלקת המלחמה של ארצות הברית HE Kementerian Perang Amerika Serikat ID Dipartimento della guerra degli Stati Uniti d'America Italian アメリカ合衆国戦争省 Japanese 미국 전쟁부 Korean
 Seal of the U.S. Department of War | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 7, 1789 |
| Preceding department | |
| Dissolved | September 18, 1947 |
| Superseding agencies | |
| Department executive | |
| Child department | |
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, also bearing responsibility for naval affairs until the establishment of the Navy Department in 1798, and for most land-based air forces until the creation of the Department of the Air Force on September 18, 1947.
The Secretary of War, a civilian with such responsibilities as finance and purchases and a minor role in directing military affairs, headed the War Department throughout its existence.
The War Department existed from August 7, 1789 until September 18, 1947,[1] when it split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. The Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force later joined the Department of the Navy under the United States Department of Defense in 1949.
- ^ "The Establishment of the Department of War – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". house.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2016.