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How much would it cost to legally rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War?
Executive summary
Multiple outlets reporting on a 2025 push to rename the U.S. Department of Defense as the “Department of War” cite internal estimates that a full rebrand could cost between about $1 billion (for visible items like signs and letterhead) and up to $2 billion when IT changes and global updates are included [1] [2]. Pentagon spokespeople say a final total hasn’t been determined, and Congress would need to update federal law for the change to be permanent [2] [3].
1. What the reporting actually says about the dollar figure
News organizations base their estimates primarily on interviews with congressional staffers, Pentagon officials and unnamed sources who briefed reporters; those sources told NBC News the total cost could be as much as $2 billion, with the most visible line items — signage and letterhead — estimated at about $1 billion alone [2] [1]. Multiple outlets (People, HuffPost, Military.com, LGBTQ Nation and others) repeat the “up to $2 billion” figure and attribute it to the same NBC reporting and its six sources [4] [5] [6] [7].
2. What’s included — and what drives the price
Reporters and the cited sources say the price tag isn’t just paint and plaques: replacing thousands of signs and letterheads worldwide is one large chunk, but rewriting digital code, updating websites, changing internal and external software references, and reissuing documents and badges could push costs much higher — which is why the range stretches from about $1 billion for visible materials to up to $2 billion when back-end IT and other systems are counted [1] [6]. Outlets note that a final Pentagon cost estimate had not been produced at the time of reporting [2].
3. Official posture and legal steps required
The White House issued an executive order directing the change and instructing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to recommend steps for making the name permanent, but Congress must still change federal law if the renaming is to be permanent — meaning some costs may be incurred administratively before any statutory approval [3] [8]. Pentagon spokespeople told reporters a total cost has not been set and blamed government staffing issues in some accounts for the lack of a final figure [2] [9].
4. How journalists and analysts contextualize the price
Analysts compare this rebrand’s projected cost to past renaming efforts — for instance, those who note that renaming a set of Army and Air Force bases cost roughly $62 million across nine installations — to show why some see $1–2 billion as plausible or even conservative given the Pentagon’s global footprint and complex IT systems [6]. Opinion pieces describe the move as symbolic and politically charged; reporting highlights that critics view the expense as “wasteful” while supporters frame it as restoring a historic name and clarifying mission [9] [10].
5. What the reporting does not prove (and limitations)
No source in the current reporting provides a line‑item, independently audited cost estimate; the $1–2 billion figures come from a small set of congressional and administration sources briefed on potential costs rather than a completed Pentagon accounting [2] [1]. Available sources do not mention a fully documented, itemized budget vetted by the Congressional Budget Office or an independent audit that confirms the top-end $2 billion number [2] [1].
6. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas
Supporters (including the White House and some allied lawmakers) present the change as correcting a perceived drift away from “warfighting” and restoring a historic name — an argument also used to justify administrative moves and photo opportunities at the Pentagon [8] [3]. Critics — including Democratic lawmakers cited in coverage — call the rename symbolic theater that diverts funds from core national security functions and may conflict with stated fiscal restraint, an implicit framing that the reported cost undercuts claims of budget discipline [9] [5].
7. Bottom line for readers
Current reporting repeatedly cites an estimated range of roughly $1 billion for visible changes and up to $2 billion when deeper IT and systemic updates are included; these figures originate from briefed congressional and administration sources and have not been confirmed by a published, itemized Pentagon or CBO accounting [1] [2]. If you need a definitive budgetary answer, available sources do not mention a completed official cost estimate or CBO-certified total at this time [2].