WASHINGTON — A recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicates that renaming the U.S. Department of Defense as the Department of War could incur costs ranging up to $125 million. This estimate depends heavily on how widely and rapidly the change would be implemented throughout the agency.
In September, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that designated the Department of War as an alternative title for the Pentagon. At the time, he commented that the renaming was meant to convey to the international community that the United States remains a formidable military force, criticizing the existing Department of Defense name as "woke." This directive coincided with the military launching airstrike campaigns targeting purported drug traffickers on boats in South America. Since then, notable military actions have included the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and heightened threats of military interventions in regions including Iran and Greenland.
Congress must formally authorize any permanent name change; however, it has yet to express substantial support for this initiative. Despite this, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quickly adopted the new designation, implementing it on multiple signage locations following the president’s order.
Among these changes, the prominent gold lettering reading "Secretary of Defense" outside Hegseth’s office was removed and replaced with "Secretary of War." Additionally, the Pentagon’s official website domain was switched from "defense.gov" to "war.gov" on the day the executive order was signed.
Previously, Pentagon officials acknowledged difficulties in estimating the full cost of a department-wide renaming, citing variability in potential expenses. They had indicated that a more precise forecast would be provided later.
The latest CBO report assesses that implementing the executive order cautiously and in phases—affecting only the immediate agency—would cost several million dollars. However, if the name change were executed swiftly and broadly across the department’s infrastructure, expenditures might reach as high as $125 million.
The report breaks down the expenses as roughly $10 million for a modest implementation within the Department of Defense, expenses that would likely be absorbed within existing Pentagon budgets. Conversely, if Congress and the Defense Department opt for a statutory renaming enacted by law, the costs could climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars, due to the scope of updates required.
The Pentagon encompasses over 6.5 million square feet of office space, with numerous signs, logos, and official seals that remain unaltered under the current designation. It remains unclear whether efforts to change the department's name have extended to various military installations globally.
Several Republican senators, including Mike Lee, Rick Scott, and Marsha Blackburn, introduced legislation shortly after the president’s executive order aimed at formalizing the name change; however, their bill has yet to advance.
The executive order directed Secretary Hegseth to recommend steps necessary to implement a permanent renaming, but Pentagon officials have not disclosed whether such recommendations have been made or what they might entail.
The Congressional Budget Office’s updated analysis was requested by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Jeff Merkley. The CBO, established over 50 years ago, is tasked with delivering impartial budgetary analyses to support legislative decisions.