Washington, D.C. — Renaming the Department of Defense as the “Department of War” could cost U.S. taxpayers anywhere from a few million dollars to as much as $125 million, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The estimate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in September authorizing “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Pentagon. Trump said the move was meant to project strength abroad and criticized the existing name as “woke.” Although Congress has not approved a formal name change, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth immediately embraced the rebranding, replacing signage outside his office, updating internal labels, and shifting the department’s website from defense.gov to war.gov.
The CBO report outlines a wide cost range depending on how quickly and broadly the change is implemented. A limited, internal rollout could cost roughly $10 million and likely be absorbed within existing Pentagon budgets. A rapid and comprehensive rebrand across the department, however, could reach $125 million, while a full statutory renaming approved by Congress could run into the hundreds of millions.
The Pentagon oversees more than 6.5 million square feet of office space worldwide, much of which still bears the Defense Department name and seals. It remains unclear how extensively the rebrand has been carried out at overseas military facilities.
Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to formalize the name change, but it has not advanced. The CBO analysis was requested by Senate Democratic leaders amid growing scrutiny of the initiative’s cost.
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