An effort by President Trump to rebrand the “Department of Defense” as the “Department of War” could cost more than $100 million, according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate.
On September 5, the president signed an order to reinstate the George Washington-era titles of the Department of War and the Office of the Secretary of War as secondary names for the Department of Defense and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The order included a requirement for the Secretary of War to later submit a request to the president to make the department’s name change permanent.
However, renaming the department is a significant undertaking. The Pentagon is responsible for 1.32 million active-duty personnel and .
The CBO, responding to a request from Senators Jeff Merkley and Chuck Schumer, stated that a “modest implementation” of the change would cost approximately $10 million, mostly within the department. This amount could be covered as an opportunity cost, the CBO noted, using existing budget resources.
But the potential costs span a wide range: A minimal implementation might require only a few million dollars, the CBO said, while a comprehensive one could reach $125 million for taxpayers.
“In general, expenses would involve staff hours used to update document templates, alter websites, or change letterhead—time that otherwise would have been spent on activities the department planned before the executive order,” the CBO wrote. “Likewise, money spent on new signs or ceremonial items might divert funds from other planned projects or activities.”
The total expense hinges on how “aggressively” the rebranding is executed and how it is balanced against other tasks and “ongoing missions.” A more aggressive approach, for instance, could involve “immediately replacing stationery, signage, and nameplates” instead of waiting until current supplies are depleted.
“The quicker the changes are made, the more sections of the DoD they affect, and the more thorough the renaming process, the higher the cost would be,” the CBO further explained.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the now aptly-named Department of War is refocused on readiness and lethality—and its title now reflects its status as the most powerful fighting force in the world,” the White House told . “The White House is working hand-in-glove with the Department of War on implementation of the executive order.”
Renaming military bases represents one of the costliest aspects of the proposed change. As early as March 2023, the Army estimated it would cost at least $39 million to rename nine installations: Forts AP Hill, Benning, Bragg, Gordon, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk, and Rucker. That figure was almost double a $21 million estimate from the Naming Commission the previous year.
Additional costs could fall on non-federal organizations if the Department of War applies the name change universally. The CBO highlights that North Carolina expended $400,000 in 2023 to change Fort Bragg’s name to Fort Liberty, only to revert it to Fort Bragg again the following summer.