WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s directive to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost as much as $2 billion, according to six people with knowledge of the potential cost.
The name change, which must be approved by Congress, would require replacing thousands of signs, placards, letterheads and badges, as well as any other items at U.S. military sites around the world that feature the Department of Defense name, according to two senior Republican congressional staffers, two senior Democratic congressional staffers and two other people briefed on the potential cost.
New department letterhead and signage alone could cost about $1 billion, according to the four senior congressional staffers and one of the people briefed on the potential cost.
One of the biggest contributors to the cost of changing the name would be rewriting digital code for all of the department’s internal and external facing websites, as well as other computer software on classified and unclassified systems, the four senior congressional staffers said.
The government could decide not to make every change to the Department of Defense branding, which could bring down the cost.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said a final cost estimate for changing the name has not been set.
“The Department of War is aggressively implementing the name change directed by President Trump, and is making the name permanent,” Parnell said in an emailed statement. “A final cost estimate has not been determined at this time due to the Democrat shutdown furloughing many of our critical civilians. A nod to our proud heritage, this change is essential because it reflects the Department’s core mission: winning wars. This has always been our mission, and while we hope for peace, we will prepare for war.”
A spokesperson for the White House directed questions to the Pentagon when asked for comment on the cost of changing the Pentagon’s name.
The cost estimate for renaming the Pentagon comes as Trump has promised to cut back on federal spending. He’s signed off on steep cuts to government agencies since taking office. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth specifically plans to cut thousands of Pentagon military and civilian personnel as part of his effort to reshape the department’s budget to focus on what he dubs “lethality” and a “warrior ethos.”
“Under the Trump administration, we are restoring the pride and the winning spirit of the United States military. That’s why we have officially renamed the Department of Defense back to the original name Department of War,” Trump said Tuesday during a Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery.
Currently, the Department of War is a secondary title for the Department of Defense, not the formal name of the department. Trump did not mention that an official name change requires congressional approval, but said Department of War better conveys the message that the U.S. is ready to “fight to win.”
He first announced a proposed name change in early September when he signed an executive order that authorized Hegseth to adopt the title “secretary of war” and to use “Department of War” in official correspondence and public communications.
Trump’s new order gave the Pentagon two deadlines — one 30 days after the president signed the order and another 60 days after — to submit paperwork to the National Security Council that would move the process forward to formally and legally provide Congress with what it needs to consider the name change.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly would not say whether either of those deadlines have been met.
“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,” Kelly said in an emailed statement. “The White House is working hand-in-glove with the Department of War on implementation of the Executive Order.”
Following the signing of the order, the Pentagon quickly changed its website URL and social media handles to feature the Department of War rather than Department of Defense. Hegseth also replaced the sign outside his office –- which now reads, “The Office of the Secretary of War” — as well as some signs at the Pentagon.
But many signs remain unchanged, including a brass nameplate that hangs outside one of the Pentagon’s entrances that still tells visitors they’re entering “The Department of Defense.”
Trump’s executive order required that all executive branch departments and agencies “recognize and accommodate these secondary titles in internal and external communications.”
It also acknowledged that the name change would require congressional action.
Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah introduced legislation in September to make the name change, and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla,, introduced legislation in the House. “Restoring the name to Department of War reflects our true purpose: to dominate wars, not merely respond after being provoked,” Scott said in a statement at the time. “It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense,” Lee wrote.
But so far, the Trump administration has not made any formal attempt to push legislation through Congress, which would have to fund the cost of the name change.
Some Republican lawmakers have privately griped about the focus on what they see as a vanity project, according to two of the senior congressional staffers.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has been public about his criticism of the change as potentially glorifying war and has vowed to lead opposition to formalize and fund the change in the Senate.
Democrats have been dismissive of the idea.
Last week, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the name change is a form of “cosplay.”
“The department is designated by congressional statue as the Department of Defense, not the Department of War,” Kaine said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Congress has not authorized the name change … and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no effort for Congress to make the name change.”
Ten Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Congressional Budget Office in September requesting the cost of changing the department’s name, including for procuring new signage, branding and ceremonial materials, updating titles of personnel, website redesign and digital infrastructure updates. They called the effort to change the name “wasteful and hypocritical,” particularly given the Trump administration’s focus on fiscal restraint, and said “it appears to prioritize political theater over responsible governance, while diverting resources from core national security functions.”
The Pentagon has undergone name changes since its original Department of War designation in 1789. The first change was under President Harry Truman who changed it from the Department of War to the National Military Establishment. The National Security Act of 1947 that was signed by Truman organized all military services into a single entity led by a secretary of defense.
Congress then changed the name to Department of Defense a couple years later.
