At a Glance
- The Pentagon’s informal switch to “Department of War” carries a $10 million to $125 million price tag
- Costs could surge into the hundreds of millions if Congress formalizes the name change
- The wide range depends on how quickly and broadly the Pentagon rolls out the rebrand
- Why it matters: Taxpayers could foot a nine-figure bill for a symbolic change that Congress hasn’t yet approved
President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Defense to also call itself the “Department of War” could cost taxpayers up to $125 million, and the tab could climb far higher if the administration pursues an official name change through Congress.
The Congressional Budget Office released the cost estimate on January 14, outlining a low-end figure of $10 million if the rebranding stays limited to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office and a high-end figure of $125 million if applied department-wide at speed.
The Price of a New Name
According to the CBO report, three factors drive the final bill:
- Speed of implementation – faster rollouts mean bigger expenses
- Scope of changes – more offices, bases and materials included
- Completeness – swapping every sign, letterhead, website and logo
“The faster the changes were implemented, the more parts of DoD that the changes applied to, and the more complete the renaming, the costlier it would be,” the estimate states.
The analysis pegs a narrow rollout around $10 million, covering items inside Hegseth’s office such as business cards, door placards and internal documents. A sweeping, rapid rebrand across the entire military bureaucracy could hit $125 million by the time every installation, uniform patch, digital property and printed form is updated.
Executive Order Sets Change in Motion
Trump signed the order in September 2025, authorizing “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense. The president, 79, argued the label projects strength.
“I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends a message, really a message of strength. We’re very strong,” Trump told ABC News.
Within days, Hegseth, 45, adopted the moniker “Secretary of War,” gold letters replaced his office signage and the Pentagon’s homepage redirected from defense.gov to war.gov. Staff emails now bear the war.gov domain, and a new seal featuring the historic name hangs in the building’s main corridor.
Congress Holds the Keys to Formal Change
Only Congress can legally rename a federal department. Trump’s order urged the Pentagon to pursue both executive action and legislation within 60 days, yet lawmakers say they have received no formal proposal from Hegseth.
Should the administration press ahead with a statutory name change, the CBO warns expenses could explode into the hundreds of millions. The estimate explains:
- A phased, limited update might stay near the unofficial range
- An immediate, department-wide mandate would spike costs dramatically
“If phased in gradually and limited to [the Office of the Secretary of Defense], incremental costs could be similar to the range of costs for an unofficial name change,” the report states. “If, however, implementing agencies chose to mandate an immediate change across all materials, costs could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Why Costs Vary So Wildly
The Pentagon’s $842 billion annual budget means even small administrative shifts ripple across thousands of accounts. Major cost drivers include:
- IT systems – updating every web property, email domain and digital form
- Physical signage – replacing thousands of base entrance markers, building directories and office plaques
- Printed material – re-issuing business cards, letterhead, technical manuals and recruitment brochures
- Uniform items – swapping patches, name tapes and insignia for millions of service members
- Legal documents – revising contracts, regulations and international agreements
The CBO notes that without a detailed implementation plan from the Defense Department, its figures remain “uncertain.” Officials have not disclosed which items will change, on what schedule or to what extent.
Visible Changes So Far
Observers can already spot the rebranding in limited places:
- Hegseth’s Pentagon office door now reads “Secretary of War” in large gold letters
- The department’s primary website redirects to war.gov
- A new logo featuring “Department of War” hangs above the entrance to the secretary’s suite
Those alterations represent a fraction of the department’s global footprint. The Pentagon manages:
- 4,800 defense sites worldwide
- 2.9 million active-duty troops, reservists and civilians
- $3.2 trillion in assets including ships, planes and facilities
Swapping identifiers across that network explains how expenses can soar past $100 million.
What Happens Next
The department has not responded to News Of Losangeles‘s request for comment on its plans. Lawmakers are waiting for the promised legislative proposal that would make “Department of War” the agency’s official statutory name.
Until Congress acts, the change remains informal. Yet every week of delay raises the probability that more taxpayer-funded materials will sport the new name, adding to the eventual replacement cost if legislators reject the rebranding.
Key Takeaways
- Taxpayers face a $10 million to $125 million bill for the current, limited rebrand
- If Congress enshrines “Department of War,” costs could leap into the hundreds of millions
- The Pentagon has not detailed its implementation timeline or scope
- Only visible changes so far are Hegseth’s door sign and the war.gov website
