Renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War could cost US taxpayers as much as USD 125 million depending on how broadly and quickly the change is made, according to an analysis released Wednesday from the Congressional Budget Office. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September that authorised the Department of War as a secondary title for the Pentagon. Congress has to formally approve a new name for the department, and it has shown no serious interest in doing so. Nevertheless, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth embraced the rebrand and proceeded to use it immediately on several signs after Trump's order. “A statutory renaming could cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” depending on how Congress and the Defense Department choose to to do it, the report says.

Source: The Telegraph January 15, 2026 07:50 UTC