[FairWitness]

I'm also partial to the word 'Guardians'. It's slightly more formal than 'Defenders' even though they both imply that they are protectors 'of freedom', - - "

"Guardians" does have a nice ring to it. I think either term (and lots of others mentioned) would drive some of the libs "over the edge" if they were widely accepted.

[gcruse]

'Guardians' strikes me as too wussy. Same for Department of Defense. War is what it's about, and sugarcoating it implies we're ashamed of what the troops do. I don't think guarding really applies to fighting wars on other people's turf.