--- title: Trump's ‘Department of War’ Rebrand Could Cost $125 Million description: A new report estimates that the cost could range anywhere from $10 million to $125 million. Here's why. canonical: https://time.com/7346623/trump-department-of-war-dow-defense-dod-rebrand-cost/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-01-15T18:57:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T08:13:45.747Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump's ‘Department of War’ Rebranding Could Cost $125 Million og:description: A new report estimates that the cost could range anywhere from $10 million to $125 million. Here's why. og:url: https://time.com/7346623/trump-department-of-war-dow-defense-dod-rebrand-cost/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt33a885e75d514bcb/6998cce19fbc7c82abd9abb3/DoD-Rebranding-Cost.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Department of Defense and Pentagon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump's ‘Department of War’ Rebranding Could Cost $125 Million twitter:description: A new report estimates that the cost could range anywhere from $10 million to $125 million. Here's why. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt33a885e75d514bcb/6998cce19fbc7c82abd9abb3/DoD-Rebranding-Cost.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the Trump Administration’s ‘Department of War’ Rebranding Could Cost Taxpayers As Much As $125 Million > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=05bc5d23-d09e-4771-a57e-135f30f7f317&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Signs Executive Order Rebranding Department of Defense as the ‘Department of War’ [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Signs Executive Order Rebranding Department of Defense as the ‘Department of War’](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XbC5n70c.m3u8) (3:32)  _Published 2025-09-05. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, directing that the Department of Defense be renamed as the "Department of War." Trump then invited his "Secretary of War" to say a few words. The Executive Order authorizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use the title “Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House fact sheet viewed by TIME._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jan 15, 2026 6:57 PM UTC President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, directing that the Department of Defense be renamed as the "Department of War." Trump then invited his "Secretary of War" to say a few words. The Executive Order authorizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use the title “Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House fact sheet viewed by TIME. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jan 15, 2026 6:57 PM UTC Rebranding the Department of Defense (DoD) to the “Department of War,” as President Donald Trump has [directed](https://time.com/7314840/department-of-defense-name-change-department-of-war-pete-hegseth-trump/), could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million, a new report estimates. The [report](https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2026-01/61942-DoD-Name-Change.pdf), released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday, estimates the cost of officially renaming the DoD if Congress passes the necessary legislation to do so, rather than if the Trump Administration makes the “Department of War” a secondary title for the agency. The office estimates that a “modest implementation of the order” would cost roughly $10 million, whereas a name change that “was implemented broadly and rapidly throughout the department” could come with a price tag as high as $125 million. But the office said that these estimates are “uncertain because DoD has not provided information about how it plans to implement” this rebranding. And, depending on how Congress and the DoD decide to implement an official name change, the move “could cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” the office said. Democrats Sen. Jeff Merkley and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requested the report, after the President [signed](https://time.com/7314840/department-of-defense-name-change-department-of-war-pete-hegseth-trump/) an Executive Order in September directing that the department be renamed as the “Department of War.” “I think it’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now,” Trump said at the time. “We have the strongest military in the world, we have the greatest equipment in the world … every element of the military we make the best, by far.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who the Trump Administration now refers to as the “Secretary of War,” said at the time of the signing that the department is “going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct.” “This name change isn’t just about renaming; it’s about restoring,” Hegseth said. “Words matter … It's restoring the warrior ethos. Restoring victory and clarity as an end state. Restoring intentionality to the use of force.” An official name change, though, would need to be approved by Congress. Until then, the "Department of War" will serve as a secondary title for the agency. Months after Trump signed the Executive Order, Congress has not taken up the case. According to the CBO report, costs associated with rebranding the DoD include time that staff members would spend updating document templates, websites, and letterhead, rather than working on other tasks. Other costs include funds used for signs or ceremonial objects. The costs also depend on “the speed and completeness” of a name change, the report says. “For example, immediately replacing stationery, signage, and nameplates would cost more than replacing them as existing stocks were exhausted or personnel changes occurred,” the report says. “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.” But, the report says, “DoD declined to provide information on the scope, speed, and costs of its implementation plan. Therefore, CBO does not know the actual changes that DoD has made (or plans to make) or the costs that it has incurred to date (or will incur) to implement the order. Not knowing what has been done so far or DoD’s full plans limits the completeness and accuracy of CBO’s estimate.” The CBO was able to obtain a report shared with Congress that lists $1.9 million in renaming costs spent by five Office of the Secretary of Defense organizations, including for flags, plaques, identification badges, and training materials. But the CBO points out that this is not an exhaustive list of the renaming costs incurred by the DoD as a whole, and so is likely an underestimate. ## Transcript [00:00] From 1789 until 1947, [00:03] our nation won some of [00:04] its greatest military victories under the direction of a Secretary of War, [00:09] operating within a Department of War. [00:12] Today, with this executive order, [00:13] you will authorize the current Secretary of [00:16] Defense and the current Department of Defense to once again to once [00:20] again embrace this great lineage and once again [00:23] be named the Secretary of War and the Department of War. [00:27] So this is something we thought long and hard about. [00:31] We've been talking about it for months. [00:33] Pete and I and Dan. [00:35] Dan came into the fold, [00:37] by the way, a great general. [00:39] He headed up the. [00:40] I wouldn't call it an attack. [00:42] I'd almost call that one. [00:44] Maybe even more than an attack. [00:47] What he did with Iran. [00:48] You saw the success of that operation. [00:51] It was perfect. In fact, we have. [00:52] This was sent to me by the great company that makes that particular B-2 bomber. [00:58] And it was flawless. It was flawless. [01:00] So, uh, great job, Dan, [01:03] and we've been talking about this, [01:04] uh, Department of War. [01:06] So we won the First World War. [01:07] We won the Second World War. [01:09] We won everything before that and in between. [01:12] And then we decided to go woke. [01:13] And we changed the name to Department of Defense. [01:16] So we're going Department of War. [01:18] And I'd like to ask our Secretary of War to say a few words. Pete Hegseth. [01:25] I think it's a much more appropriate name, [01:27] especially in light of where the world is right now. [01:31] We have the strongest military in the world. [01:33] We have the greatest equipment in the world. [01:35] We have the greatest manufacturers of equipment by far. [01:38] Whether it's the Korean War, the Vietnam War or our generation of Iraq and Afghanistan, [01:42] that's to recognize that this name change is not just about renaming. [01:47] It's about restoring. [01:49] Words matter. It's restoring. [01:52] As you've guided us to, Mr. President, [01:53] restoring the warrior ethos, [01:55] restoring victory and clarity as an end state, [01:59] restoring intentionality to the use of force. [02:04] So at your direction, Mr. President, [02:06] the War Department is going to fight decisively, not endless conflicts. [02:11] It's going to fight to win, [02:12] not not to lose. [02:14] We're going to go on offense, [02:15] not just on defense. [02:17] Maximum lethality. [02:19] Not tepid Legality. [02:21] Violent effect. [02:23] Not politically correct. [02:25] We're going to raise up warriors, not just defenders. [02:28] So this War Department, [02:30] Mr. President, just like America is back. [02:33] Thank you for your leadership and your clarity. [02:35] We're going to set the tone for this country. [02:38] America first. [02:39] Peace through strength. [02:40] Brought to you by the War Department. We're back. [02:43] You know, we solved seven wars. [02:46] We have the one that I thought was going to be probably one of the easier ones. [02:49] And that's with President Putin and Ukraine. [02:53] And that turned out to be one that's a little bit more difficult. [02:56] But the seven are done. [02:58] They were supposed to be much more difficult to solve. [03:00] I solved every one of them. [03:01] And we're going to get the other one done too. [03:04] But it turned out to be a little bit more difficult than I thought. [03:07] And it'll get done, [03:08] or there'll be hell to pay. Thank you. [03:10] And it's an honor to sign this. [03:13] And we will do that right now. [03:23] I think that's a big one. [03:25] I'll be honest. I think. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7346623/trump-department-of-war-dow-defense-dod-rebrand-cost/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7346623/trump-department-of-war-dow-defense-dod-rebrand-cost/"},"headline":"Why the Trump Administration’s ‘Department of War’ Rebranding Could Cost Taxpayers As Much As $125 Million","datePublished":"2026-01-15T18:57:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T08:13:45.747Z","description":"A new report estimates that the cost could range anywhere from $10 million to $125 million. 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