The Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing President Donald Trump’s September executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the "Department of War" could cost between roughly $10 million and $125 million, depending on how the Pentagon proceeds.
CBO Estimate and Uncertainty
In a letter to two Democratic senators published Wednesday, the CBO said the estimate is uncertain because the Department of Defense declined to provide detailed implementation plans. The CBO warned that if Congress were to enact a statutory name change in coordination with the Pentagon, total costs could rise into the "hundreds of millions of dollars." CNN has requested comment from the Pentagon about its implementation strategy.
Primary Cost Drivers
According to the CBO, the bulk of expenses would come from replacing signage, stationery and letterhead, updating websites and other materials, and purchasing revised flags, badges and training documents. The CBO noted the DOD website has already been altered to reflect the new title.
The agency also observed that implementation speed and scope materially affect costs: immediately replacing all existing stock increases spending compared with waiting for supplies to be exhausted. "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 CBO wrote.
In a Pentagon spending summary obtained by the CBO, five organizations within the Office of the Secretary of Defense reported spending about $1.9 million over a 30-day period on updated flags, plaques, identification badges and training materials related to the rebranding effort.
Political Context And Executive Order
Trump’s executive order authorizes the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as "Secretary of War," "Department of War," and "Deputy Secretary of War" in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts and non-statutory documents within the executive branch. The fact sheet accompanying the order acknowledged that a permanent name change would likely require congressional action; President Trump said at the time he was uncertain whether legislation would be necessary:
"I don't know, but we're going to find out, but I'm not sure they have to."
Broader Rebranding Effort
The renaming is part of a broader rebranding led by Secretary Pete Hegseth, which has emphasized service members' fitness and appearance, framed public messaging around troop lethality and strength, and rolled back some diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Historical Note
The United States originally used the name "Department of War" when President George Washington established the Army; the title was replaced in 1949 during postwar military reorganization under President Harry S. Truman.
Reporting contributions: CNN. This article summarizes the CBO's published estimate and related details.
