Pentagon's Department of War name change will cost $50 million

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has formally asked to change its legal name from the Department of Defense to the Department of War, a move the agency estimates will cost more than $50 million.

The Pentagon's Office of General Counsel posted its proposal to change the law to rename the department, even though the new name has been deployed since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued guidance following President Donald Trump's September executive order.

Supporters of the change have framed it as restoring historical nomenclature dating back to the pre-1947 War Department.

"It was under this name that the Department of War, along with the later formed Department of the Navy, won the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, inspiring awe and confidence in our Nation's military," Trump's original executive order said.

But critics have questioned both the symbolism of renaming the department to sound more aggressive, as well as the unnecessary expense that will come with updating signs and references across the sprawling organization's global footprint. The administration has, at the same time, pledged to root out waste, fraud and abuse at the Pentagon and across the federal government.

The Pentagon quickly made changes to prominent signs at the agency's headquarters in Washington, while the administration and U.S. military officials have been referring to the department by its new name.

In an attempt to be cost-effective and "non-invasive," the Pentagon said it is using existing stock, such as letterhead, until it runs out and then replenishing supplies with the new name. It is updating signs with bulk orders, it said.

To execute all the changes, the Pentagon in its latest proposal estimates that it will spend roughly $44.6 million this fiscal year across defense agencies, plus $3.5 million for the military departments and $3 million for the office of the secretary of defense and Washington headquarters.

It will cost another $400,000 to adjust the name across the offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, various combatant commands and at the National Guard Bureau.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 2:27 PM.