Pentagon asks Congress to approve ‘Department of War’ rebrand, estimates $52M cost
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The Pentagon has formally sought congressional approval to enact the “Department of War” moniker, estimating it would cost taxpayers approximately $52 million.
The Pentagon’s estimate is significantly lower than what the Congressional Budget Office predicted in January, when it estimated the rebranding could cost up to $125 million if adopted “broadly and quickly” across the department.
The Pentagon claimed that the change, which included changing the name of the Secretary of Defense to Secretary of War, would not have a “significant impact” on President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 defense budget request because most of the implementation costs would be covered in the current fiscal year 2026.
According to the ministry, “actual costs are collected at the time of implementation and will be available after the name change application is completed in the current fiscal year.”
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The Pentagon has formally sought Congressional approval to enact the “Department of War” moniker. (Celal Güneş/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Pentagon said in the bill that about $52 million is expected to be used, including $44.6 million for the Defense Agencies and the department’s field activities, $3.5 million for military departments, $3 million for Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s office and Headquarters Services Washington, and $400,000 for the Joint Staff, Combat Commands and the National Guard Bureau.
“The revision to the Department’s mandate is a fundamental reminder of the importance and respect required for our core mission: to fight and win wars,” the proposal said. The statement is included. “It serves as a strategic goal against which all activities will be measured and prioritized.”
The request to rebrand the department would require approximately 7,600 changes to federal law. The Pentagon has already changed its website and social media accounts to reflect the rebranding, and the nameplate on the door to Hegseth’s office already reads “Secretary of War.”
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The Pentagon’s estimate is significantly lower than what the Congressional Budget Office predicted in January. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)
This comes after Trump signed an executive order in the fall to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. The decision drew criticism, but some anti-war advocates argued it was better suited to an administration they said was eager to continue the war.
“The name change really helps highlight how fraudulent, unconstitutional, and unlawful the president’s actions are,” former Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian Republican, wrote on X in September.
But some of Trump’s Republican allies in Congress have signaled support for the name change; Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla. and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, have introduced bills in their respective chambers to codify the rebranding.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Democrats criticized the Pentagon’s request to enact the name as lawmakers begin drafting the 2027 fiscal defense policy bill.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the fall renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote to
The War Department was established in 1789 by President George Washington. It was later replaced by the National Military Agency in 1947 and redesignated as the Department of Defense in 1949.
